


Erotica

by abx



Category: BLACKPINK (Band), GOT7, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS, 소녀시대 | Girls' Generation | SNSD
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Deep plot, Drug Use, F/M, I have an idea where I'm going but not really, Just writing this on the spot, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smut, Tags May Change, more smut, savagery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2018-09-21 18:09:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 93,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9560867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abx/pseuds/abx
Summary: They're all hiding something. Unrequited love, dark crimes, intense sins, and it's all centered around this one club that seems to house everything from freaks, sex addicts, and psychopaths.The devolution from a love stricken teen to a ruthless, souless executioner.The figure of control who is now being controlled by forces that he cannot see.And all the souls stuck in between."I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints."





	1. Bonnie and Clyde

He sped with his bike trying to, at the very least, get a bit of breeze going in the sweltering summer sun, but to no avail. 

“God damn,” he exhaled as he swept the sweat from his forehead and through his striking red hair in an effort to make himself as presentable as possible to the onlooking world. He let go of both handlebars as he tilted his head back in his usual carefree nature, although he was entirely aware of everything around him.

The stares, the “oohs” and “aahs,” the “heys” from the females, and males, he passed. Taehyung was hot, temperature-wise and visually, and he knew it. He grinned knowing how good he looked as he put his hands back on the handlebars and sped along to his friend’s house. 

When he got there, he didn’t even knock as he entered, knowing his friend’s house could basically be his as he practically lives there.

“Yo, Hoseok! Daddy’s home,” he called as he strode straight to the refrigerator to grab a much-needed water bottle. 

“Daddy? I thought I divorced him years ago,” a sultry voice raspy from years of cigarettes drawled from behind Taehyung. Taehyung’s heart skipped a beat, only slightly out of surprise, as he quickly stood straight and turned to see Ms. Jung leaning in the doorway of the kitchen in only her silk robe.

It took him a second or two before he revealed his trademark grin.

“Damn right it’s been years. Years of you being alone. Should we fix that?” He said as he mirrored her pose, leaning against the now closed refrigerator. He couldn’t help but lick his lips slowly as he eyed the woman up and down. 

“Nope, stop that. Now. Gross,” a voice came from the living room, taking Taehyung’s attention away from the sight in front of him, only for a second.

“Oh c’mon, my one goal before I die is for you to call me step-daddy. Just once,” he called back to Taehyung, though his eyes were fixed on the woman.

“Guess you’ll just have to die then,” Hoseok mumbled as he walked passed both Taehyung and his mother to the front door. “Are we going or not?”

“Grumpy as usual, I see. See you later, wifey.” Taehyung called behind his shoulder with his boxy grin as he followed Hoseok towards his bicycle. Ms. Jung hummed in response clearly not interested anymore as she took a drag from her cigarette.

“Don’t you get tired of hitting on my mom?” Hoseok complained as he strapped his helmet and joint pads on before carrying his skateboard towards the empty street.

“What…the hell are you wearing?” Taehyung said unconsciously ignoring Hoseok’s question.

“What?”

“This!” Taehyung clarified by roughly pounding on Hoseok’s helmet.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Dude, literally, everything. What, are you in the fifth grade?”

“Mom says I have to wear it for my safety since I’m ‘so clumsy,’” Hoseok said the last part in a very sarcastic and very obvious mocking of his mother.

“Okay, first: Take it off, you look ridiculous. Second: That was a horrible imitation of your mom.”

“Oh, you can do better?” Hoseok goaded as he ignored Taehyung’s commands to remove the safety gear and dropped his skateboard to ride along the street.

“Easy,” Taehyung mused as he followed closely beside Hoseok on his bike, like they have done ever since they could remember. “OH! AH! Faster, Tae Tae, oh God! Oh— “

Taehyung had to take his right foot off the pedal and plant it on the ground to stop himself from eating the pavement as Hoseok shoved him with a disgusted grunt.

“Honestly, you sick asshole, how would you feel if I joked about fucking your mom all the time, huh?” Hoseok expressed, the entirety of his face contorted in both disgust and exasperation.

“Well…you could. But we both know she’s not the one you wanna fuck,” Taehyung drawled with a knowing gleam to his eyes and cocky grin on his face. Hoseok hesitated at the look for a second before opening his mouth to speak when he was interrupted.

“Took you guys long enough. I thought I would see the Apocalypse come before you two ass wipes.” A lazy yet thoughtful voice sounded from the left of the boys. They were headed to Yoongi’s house, who lived only a few blocks down from Hoseok, and it only was a three-minute ride if they sped along the curb, not caring for the few passing cars.

Yoongi merged onto the rode beside Hoseok, easily joining them after years of practice, wearing his usual slightly-too-big t-shirt and overly torn jeans paired with camel combat boots. He rode a motorized skateboard that he found in a dumpster and fixed himself, for he was all too lazy for the traditional skateboard. The wind blew through his bleached blonde hair and he whipped his head to the side to get the locks out of his face. His carefree gait made the other boys look on at him in astonishment, Hoseok with envy at how much cooler Yoongi looked with bleached hair compared to his natural and dull hair, while Taehyung look on in admiration. Yoongi seemed not to have a care in the world yet his authority, his presence, was substantial for some odd reason.

Yoongi did not seem to notice the younger boys’ stares as he bent his knees slightly to gain speed and lead the way towards their next destination.

They carried on in silence, with Yoongi in the lead and Taehyung sending Hoseok goofy grins which were received with throaty grumbles. The next house was a little further off, in the center of a cul-de-sac and, when they reached the center of the circle, they slowed.

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” Taehyung called out to the window of the house in the center, cupping his hands around his mouth to imitate a megaphone.

“You are like a grave yard of dead jokes,” Yoongi drawled with a slight lilt to his voice that betrayed his stoic face. He walked towards the edge of the house, directly under the window, skateboard pinned between his arm and side.

“Ah, c’mon. This joke will never get old,” Taehyung declared as he stood beside Yoongi, followed closely by Hoseok who stood next to Taehyung.

“It did about five years ago,” came a voice from above. They looked up just in time to see a makeshift rope made from old towels and clothing come toppling over them. Yoongi deftly, with the façade of ease, avoided the rope while Taehyung screeched and flailed his arms which connected with Hoseok’s cheekbone. 

“That doesn’t,” Yoongi said with a slight grin on his face as he let the two young men childishly hit each other back and forth arguing about who hit who first. 

Yoongi climbed through the window to see Jimin splayed across his bed, barefoot and shirtless, clad only in his boxers in front of an electric fan. Yoongi grinned at the sight as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“You do know we gotta go soon, right?” Yoongi said as he looked at the state of the boy’s room. It was tidy enough, with only a few articles of clothing strewn about, but, for the most part, it was clean and cozy, just like the inhabitant of said room.

“I had clothes on before, but you guys took about seventeen years to get here. It was either roast to death or this,” Jimin mumbled as he savored the last few seconds of cool air from the fan before he had to put clothes back on. Clothes that seemed to restricting, hot, and unnecessary in the unforgiving heat.

“Blame Dumb and Dumber for that,” Yoongi said before hearing a thump, an obnoxious guffaw, followed by a pained groan that could only be produced by Hoseok. Jimin and Yoongi looked at each other before grinning to themselves and getting up to look out the window. The sight before them was enough to have even Yoongi breaking into a smile.

“Jimin-ie your rope broke again,” Taehyung called in a sing-song tone as he looked down on Hoseok who was lying on his back with half of the makeshift rope clutched in his grip.

“How did Yoongi make it look so easy?” Hoseok groaned as he slowly sat up to rub at his lower back.

“Because he doesn’t have that dumb ass helmet weighing him down,” Taehyung half-joked as he offered his fallen comrade his hand, who took it happily.

“Hey, if it weren’t for the helmet, he’d be seriously hurt right now,” Jimin chirped even as he continued to giggle at the sight.

“Exactly,” Hoseok declared as he gave Taehyung a pointed look, who only mocked him in return.

“Yeah…no matter how stupid he looks,” Yoongi said as he backed fully into the room again to sit back on the bed. He laughed under his breath when he heard Hoseok complain in surprise at the sudden quip while Taehyung laughed.

“Just stay there, we’ll be down in a bit,” Jimin said as he re-entered the room to change into actual clothes.

It was a few minutes later when Jimin and Yoongi climbed out of the window and down the rope, having the jump the gap between the rope and the ground that Hoseok created. When Jimin landed after Yoongi, he found both Hoseok and Taehyung already on the street, Taehyung on his bike and Hoseok sitting on the curb with his feet planted on his skateboard. Yoongi walked towards them and waited as Jimin covered the distance to stand next to Taehyung.

“Hop on, shorty,” Taehyung said with an overzealous close-mouthed grin as he patted his handlebars. Jimin had gotten his bike stolen a couple of months ago, though he would never admit that. Instead, he told his friends that he had lost it in a bet and, when they claimed that they would just go find the guy and get the bike back, he said he it was useless since it was so old and rusted. In reality, he was bitter about losing his bike, but he was more morose about the idea of his friends looking down on him for getting it stolen than anything else.

“Yoongi’s almost as short as me, you know” Jimin grumbled, though he lifted himself to sit on handlebars, anyway.

“Yeah, but it’s just not as fun to mess with him,”Taehyung responded, slightly whiny.

“And why’s that?”

“Cause he’s so…boring?” Taehyung tested as he spared a glance at Yoongi. Yoongi looked back and scoffed under his breath. Hoseok gave Yoongi a knowing sideways grin and looking away, not noticing how Yoongi’s stare stayed on him a little longer.

Jimin had no response as they continued to ride in comfortable silence. 

Halfway through the ride, Taehyung rested his chin on Jimin’s shoulder which earned a watchful stare by Hoseok which went unnoticed by the boys, except Yoongi.  
They made it to the shabby restaurant just in time for them to catch their friend flipping the switch to turn the “Open” sign off. They received a scalding, unamused glare which they could only respond to with apologetic smiles.

Seokjin opened the door for his friends, who were all too happy to be inside an air-conditioned room to even hear his dramatic sigh and foot tapping impatiently on the hardwood floor.

“Is this heaven? This is heaven,” Taehyungproclaimed as he fell to his knees and flew his arms out to the side to let the cool air hug every inch of his body.

“No, this is heaven,” Hoseok nearly squealed as he eyed the assortment of leftover food that must have just put out by their friend just before they got there. There was leftover kalbi and lettuce wraps to make ssam, two half-filled pots, one of kimchi jjigae and the other budae jjigae, rice, and the usual banchan.

“And it’s still warm, come to Papa,” Yoongi drawled as he sat at the table and rubbed his hands together in preparation before grabbing a piece of kalbi, garlic, and radish, placing a piece of lettuce in front of his open and salivating mouth, and shoving the food both within the lettuce and his mouth at the same time. Yoongi prides himself in his innovation of ssam.

“You mean Grandpapa,” Jimin quipped as he sat down across Yoongi, who was now in the center of Hoseok and Taehyungwho joined the table to participate in the impressive feast.  
It took them a few moments, mouthfuls of food, and incessant groans of pleasure before they realized that they were being glared at by the reproachful restaurant owner.

“Wha-?” Yoongi questioned around a mouthful of rice.

“I specifically told you I had to be out of here at 9:30, did I or did I not?” Seokjin scolded with his hands on his hips and he tilted his head slightly downwards to look at Yoongi.

“You did,” Yoongi sighed.

“And at 9:30, were you here?”

“No,”

“And what time is it now?”

Yoongi looked at the clock across the wall with squinted, tired, and slightly annoyed eyes before responding, “10:30.”

“Did you think I would just sit here and wait when I had other things to do? Hmm?”

“Well…Uh--. No?” Yoongi replied confusedly as he eyed the food and the man standing above him before looking at each boy at the table in turn, before returning his gaze to the food. Seokjin obviously waited for the boys, like he did every weekend.

“No? You think I would leave you to starve and die? Is that how you think of me?” Seokjin remarked incredulously.

“Huh? Wait—No, that’s not what I meant,” Jimin tried not to giggle as he could see Yoongi’s eyes flicking back and forth trying to sort through answer.

“Then…?” Yoongi was too busy staring at the bubbling kimchi jjigae in front of him to notice Seokjin’s angry façade beginning to crack into a smile and before he could stop himself he was laughing hysterically. Every other boy joined in pointing their chopsticks at Yoongi’s confused expression which only made them laugh more.

“Dude, how did you fall for that?” Taehyung gasped out as he tried to control his breathing.

“Fall for what?” Came a disembodied voice.

“My devilish charms, of course,” came another, this time closer, but still hidden.  
Hoseok nearly choked on a piece of spam in the budae jjigae from the shock of the bodiless voices.

“God?” Taehyung asked looking to the sky with every bit of sarcasm.

“Nope, close though,” came the second voice whose owner finally decided to show himself. Jungkook seemed to have been in the bathroom because, when he came out, he was wiping his wet hands on his whitewashed jeans. Namjoon followed closely behind fixing the waistband of his jeans.

“Glad to see you guys finally make it,” Namjoon quipped as he sat down next to Yoongi across from Jimin, Taehyung, and Hoseok. He leaned back in his chair while outstretching his right arm to rest on the back of Yoongi’s chair.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it we’re late, okay?” Taehyung said as he aggressively chewed his kalbi, purposefully eating it loudly.

“You would think today of all days you could have made more of an effort. An hour late? That’s a new record.” Jungkook half-joked from across the restaurant, his body hidden behind a counter as he crouched to look for something.

“What’s today again?” Taehyung asked sarcastically then laughed as the remark caused Jungkook to pop his head up from behind the counter to give Taehyung his not so threatening death glare.

“Today’s the day our little Jungkook-ie becomes an adult,” Jimin said in his best baby voice.

“Aah—no matter how old he gets, he’s still gonna be our baby,” Seokjin joined in, now sat next to Namjoon.

“I’m still young and sexy, what can you say for yourself,” Jungkook shot back as he sauntered back to the table with his hands behind his back.

“How can you say such a thing? I’m the sexiest one at this table,” Seokjin said as he eyes everyone with big, incredulous eyes. If one didn’t know Seokjin well, they’d think he was joking.  
“You know how they say wine gets better as it ages?” Jungkook asked as he got closer to the table, his hands still hidden by his torso.

“Mhm,” Seokjin grins bidding Jungkook to continue.

Jungkook stops and looks at Seokjin with a mischievous grin knowing exactly what Seokjin wanted to hear. He blinks, averts his eyes, and continues walking towards the table without saying a word. Seokjin’s eyes grew as big as saucers as the realization that Jungkook wasn’t going to stroke his ego hit him. He watched Jungkook cross the room to sit across from him, not blinking once, while everyone at the table broke out into raucous laughter that seemed to shake the table.

“Anyways,” Jungkook continued, “It’s time for the first part of the celebration to begin.” He removed his hands from the shield of his back to reveal a dark emerald bottle, soju. “Now that I’m finally legal, we are gonna get piss drunk, whether you want to or not.” He added the last part in after a couple of groans arose from the table. He giggled a little maniacally at their reaction before running back to the bar to get bottles for each boy sitting at the table.

“Unlike you kids, some of us actually have work to be at tomorrow,” Yoongi said in his carefree drawl that couldn’t fool his friends. He eyed the full bottle in front of him before sliding it to the side in a gesture that showed his disapproval.

“Work, work, work. Is that the only word in your vocabulary?” Taehyung asked, which sent curious stares and approving hums Yoongi’s way.

It was true, that all Yoongi had going for him was his job. It paid well enough to keep him off the streets and help his friends during emergencies. So what, he’s always working? It pays the bills and keep his friends safe, isn’t that all that matters?

“Speaking of your job, where do you even work? You always talk about it but never in detail,” Hoseok asked innocently with an equally innocent face that would have made Yoongi smile if he weren’t currently under a spotlight.

“I bet he doesn’t even have a job,” Taehyung said as he pointed a finger towards Yoongi with a foolish grin plastered on his face. “So what do you actually do? Are you a spy? No…to much action for you. Hmm…a drug dealer?” Though Taehyung didn’t mean much when he said this, everyone groaned and looked at him as if he was crazy. He just dodged a piece of cabbage aimed for his head before he put his hands up in surrender.

“Enough of the grilling, can we get on with the ‘celebration?’” Namjoon asked trying to seem as uninterested as possible, but even he couldn’t contain the sigh of satisfaction as the youngest took the bait and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay! Seokjin’s a bitch and said we couldn’t make any more dirty dishes so we gotta drink from the bottle,” he ignored the eyebrow wag that he got from Taehyung when he said this, “tonight, ladies, we’re getting fucked up!”

Jungkook twisted open the top and lifted his bottle with the biggest grin that he has had in years. Jimin couldn’t help to smile at the light shining in Jungkook’s eyes, so he too twisted the cap and put his bottle in the air, the neck of it touching that of Jungkook’s bottle. Taehyung was third, having more enthusiasm than the rest, even Jungkook for some reason. One by one, the others lifted their slowly lifted the open bottles, Yoongi being last.

He eyed the closed bottle in front of him and eyed the expectant stares sent his way. Before any more suspicion could be directed towards him, he opened his bottle and lifted it. 

Hoseok smiled, not really using his lips, but his eyes, which comforted Yoongi to some extent.

Jungkook let out a victorious whoop before taking a large gulp from the bottle. He didn’t cringe as much, indicative of his years of illegal practice with alcohol. Everyone else followed him, hoping that the fire water would give them more courage to enjoy the crazy night that was to come.

 

 

 

Now that the first part of the plan, getting his friends drunk, was a success, it was time for part two. Jungkook purposefully did not tell them what the rest of the night entailed because he knew they would never agree. Taehyung, definitely, he just wanted to have fun anytime anywhere. Jimin, maybe, depending on how well he could pull off his puppy voice and bite his lip.

Jungkook led the group as they walked down the streets towards his intended destination. Truthfully, he just wanted to go to a club, because no matter how many fake IDs he got, the bouncers never fell for it, so he was stuck getting drunk at lame house parties and alley ways.

They were on their way to a hip-hop club called Sax before something caught his attention. There was a sign on the wall of a building for a recently opened club, Erotica, and with a name like that, it could only be one thing. A strip-club. Jungkook grinned to himself as he made a sharp right into the entrance of an alley. The group didn’t seem to mind, rather, they didn’t notice as they were too busy singing loudly and laughing at the ones tripping while trying not to trip themselves.

When Jungkook got to the entrance, he couldn’t help the slight hesitation he felt when looking at the bouncer. He was heavy set, but mostly muscle instead of fat, his head was shaved bald, and he wore sunglasses that covered most of his face. Jungkook thought the sunglasses were stupid since it was dark out and he scoffed under his breath a little at this. The bouncer didn’t seem to notice as he was too busy looking behind Jungkook, seemingly at the boisterous group of boys behind him.

Jungkook cleared his throat and puffed his chest out slightly because, even if he was legal, he still felt the need to compensate for his baby face with his version of a manly personality. The bouncer finally looks down at him, literally, since he was so much bigger than Jungkook, and Jungkook couldn’t help but to gulp at the behemoth in front, and on top, of him.

Jungkook’s body seemed to shrivel to nothingness when the bouncer scowled down at him, and he was almost about to turn away when the bouncer looked back up at the group and down at him once more. Though the bouncer’s face didn’t soften one bit, he did step to the side to allow the boys to enter, which caught Jungkook all types of off guard. Jungkook stood outside frozen in shock for a second before catching himself and walking quickly passed the bouncer.

The boys didn’t notice what had just occurred, for it seemed they didn’t even know where they were, which Jungkook was very happy for. Though this was unplanned, he was going to act like this strip club was his idea from the get-go. So when they boys finally entered behind Jungkook and took in their surroundings, the look on their faces was enough for Jungkook to cackle in pure amusement. Yoongi looked about ready to turn back, and Namjoon and Seokjin were frozen in place with faces that showed no hints of amusement whatsoever. Their faces were so serious, in fact, that Jungkook wondered if this club had sobered them up.

The silence within the group was interrupted by Taehyung guffawing loudly before running to bear hug Jungkook.

“I knew you knew how to have a good time, my man!” Taehyung exclaimed with his boxy grin filling half of his face.

“Of all places, why didn’t I notice from outside?” Yoongi said more to himself than anyone, but it was caught by Hoseok who was standing near him.

“So, what do you think?” Jungkook said while holding his arms out to his side like he owned the place.

At this, Namjoon scoffed under his breath while Seokjin calmly shook his head about to express his disapproval. Both Jungkook and Taehyung groaned out loud clearly frustrated, while Hoseok and Jimin stayed quiet just waiting for the group to make a collective decision that they would obediently follow.

“But it’s my birthday!” Jungkook complained quite childishly, which annoyed Yoongi but seemed to affect Namjoon and Seokjin, the latter more so.

“I know, I know. But please, Jungkook, anywhere else. Even another strip club, just not here,” Seokjin remarked placating, pleadingly looking into Jungkook’s eyes. He tried to put his most relaxed smile on, but it just looked forced. Yoongi and Namjoon looked at Jungkook the same way, but Jungkook was too focused on not throwing a fit to notice.

“Why? Have you been here before?” Jungkook asked, his eyes squinted suspiciously.

“Well, no, but--“

“Then what’s the problem?” Both Taehyung and Jungkook asked at the same time.

Seokjin didn’t seem to have an answer to this question, so Namjoon helped him by saying, “Doesn’t this place just seem…”

“Dirty, dank, STD-infested? Duh, it’s a fucking strip club. Just like every strip club in this city. This one’s no different, so quit bitchin’ and let’s celebrate our baby’s birthday,” Taehyung finished with a tone that was more commanding than suggestive. He turned away from the group to find a place to sit and, when spotting a couch big enough for all seven, he headed in the direction, followed closely behind by Jungkook, Jimin, and Hoseok, in that order. 

Yoongi tried to ignore the fact that Hoseok slipped his tongue out to slide over his lips in response to Taehyung’s commanding tone before rolling his eyes, but staying in place.

Yoongi, Seokjin, and Namjoon exchanged glances behind their backs before sighing heavily and following slowly, “Best to keep their suspicions low, guys, c’mon,” he urged when they didn’t follow suit.

When the three once again joined the group at the couch they were surprised to see the table filled with full glasses of liquor once again.

“More alcohol? We barely ate enough for all of this,” Seokjin groaned as he rubbed his stomach, out of both hunger and nausea from the entire bottle of soju he downed. As if on cue, a female dancer approached them with swaying hips and skin that seemed to pale skin that seemed glow under the club lights. She was quite tall with bleached blonde hair and blue eye contacts.

“Eating, huh? Well, I hope you don’t mind me being your dessert,” she cooed as she bit her lip and lifted her leg to rest on the head of the couch next to Taehyung’s head. From his spot he could see everything and he couldn’t help himself from reaching up to try and bring this exotic vixen closer when a hand immediately seized his and held it away from her body in a death lock. 

“N-no touching, Tae! Right? That’s a rule at strip clubs, r-right?” Hoseok all but spit out in one breath. He seemed to notice everyone’s surprised looks from his sudden outburst so he tried to laugh it off, though it just seemed to thicken the tension in the, now very little, club.

“Oh, it’s okay, sweetheart. You guys are special, so you can do special things…like touching,” she dragged the last part out letting her tongue graze in front of her top row of teeth, hungrily.

Before anyone could ask what she meant by “special,” Taehyung ripped his hand from Hoseok’s grip and used it to grab onto the dancer’s ass to yank her forward. His eyes were filled with so much lust that Hoseok had to look away so he missed the teasing action of Taehyung licking his way from the vixen’s ankle to her upper thigh. This released a gasp from the woman, followed by a giggle laced with all types of sex and danger.

“We don’t have to share, do we?” Jungkook asked, half-serious. This was his first time at a strip-club, a club in general, so he didn’t really know how these things worked.

“Of course not, honey, you each can get one all for yourselves,” another sultry voice came from behind them. This woman was shorter than the other but she made up for it with her voluptuous curves. Her skin was golden tan and she had body shimmer on that made her glitter under the lights. She contrasted with the other girl with her dark hair and eyes. As she circled the couch, she sat on Jungkook’s lap purposefully rubbing her ass against his crotch. Jungkook couldn’t help but release a gasp and lift his pelvis to rub against her, as well. She gasped and gave him a wide-eyed look.

“She said I can touch, right?” He said as he lifted one eyebrow and gave a sideways smirk. She didn’t reply but she did smile devilishly while circling one arm around his neck. He wrapped his hands around her small torso, rubbing his thumbs against her sides.

The first lady looked behind her and waved her hand using her first and second finger. As if they were waiting, two more women came from the back, both with their individual colors and flavors that made them so appealing, so enticing. One had red hair and she sat on Jimin’s lap while the one with hair that was dark but with purple undertones sat in between Hoseok’s legs. Hoseok immediately tensed up, but he tried to play cool and divert any attention away from him as quickly as possible.

“And what about them?” Hoseok asked using his chin to gesture towards the three men without a girl hanging off them.

“Oh they are extra special,” the first woman said as she, instead, gestured to other side of the club. At this, one woman came and gestured for the three men to follow her to a back room out of view from the rest of the club. Jimin thought this weird and before he could comment on this, his red-haired companion used her tender fingers to drag his chin, and his attention, away from them.

Jimin almost protested but, as if on cue, he heard a riff so familiar that he automatically started humming along. Dean’s angelic voice, words laced with sex and pleasure made Jimin’s body melt into the couch and his red-haired lady. The first lines of “Bonnie and Clyde” played which allowed the women to get up and give their respective men scandalous dances. 

Everyone seemed to enjoy it except Hoseok who shifted in his spot and looked everywhere but the girl dancing in front of him. She noticed this and, instead of getting flustered, she straddled his lap. He only stiffened more and kept his arms limp at his side instead of placing them on her hips like the other boys did. She leaned in closer and, when he leaned back to avoid their faces from making contact, she laughed and only leaned in more.

“I thought it was just nerves, but now it’s obvious that you’re not feeling this, baby. What, am I not your type?” She whispered into his ear, her lips grazing his earlobe and her tongue occasionally flicking out to pronounce her words. To any other guy, they would be uncomfortable with pleasure, but for Hoseok, he was uncomfortable for completely different reasons.

“U-uh…u-um…” Hoseok stuttered not knowing where to look so he turned his eyes to where he always viewed as his source of comfort: Taehyung.

This did not go unnoticed by the dancer and realization lit in her eyes and her grin grew to a mischievous smirk. She got off Hoseok’s trembling lap and offered him her hand to which he stared at dumbly. She giggled slightly before saying, “C’mon, I know where you belong.”

Hoseok thought this weird and was going to decide against her offer when he heard a giggle from his left and looked to see Taehyung’s face buried in his blonde’s neck, his head moving in a slow up-and-down motion as he licked and nibbled at her neck. Hoseok couldn’t bring himself to watch any longer, for if he did, he surely would have made a scene. 

So, with intense determination, he took the girl’s hand and let her lead him to a door of to the left of the club. No one seemed to notice his leaving as they were far too busy drowning in the attention of the women.

Now that he was more used to his surroundings, Hoseok found it odd that the club wasn’t as full as he expected clubs to be at this time of the night. He was also surprised by the people who were there, clad in designer business suits and expensive confidence that made him feel small and broke compared to them. Okay, well, he was broke but they made him feel down right impoverished.

When they reached the door, the girl held it open for him but did not go in, instead, tilting her head gesturing for him to continue. He hesitated, then looked behind him only to see the blonde dancer straddled on Taehyung’s lap with his face now buried in her chest. He quickly turned and walked through the door without another look behind.

 

 

When he saw what was behind the door, Hoseok immediately wanted to turn back around, but the door was already closed and he knew that he did not want to sit next to Taehyung as he motorboated a chick he didn’t even know.

The door led to another large room, basically another club, but the aura was completely different. Unlike the part where he had just come from, there were less people in business suits and more people with…birthday suits. The only article of clothing covering these people’s body parts was the G-string for their most intimate areas. Hoseok knew this was not his scene but the fact that they were all men. It was dark, too dark so he had to stand stupidly while waiting for his eyes to adjust.

Hoseok wanted to hide in a corner and never be seen again but he was also equally parts intrigued. Why did the girl send him here? Was it that obvious that he wasn’t into girls? It wasn’t like he wasn’t into girls, in fact, he has had a few girlfriends, it’s just, recently, he has only had eyes for a certain male friend of his that has left him both confused and pining.

Like Tae would ever fuck someone with my horse face, Hoseok thought, unknowingly getting lost in his thoughts. So lost that he didn’t even notice a guy sauntering towards him with a gleam to his eyes.

“Hey, handsome,” The guy cooed. Hoseok couldn’t help but scoff under his breath. At this, the guy frowned but smiled again as he offered his hand to shake and continued, “I’m Mark.” This guy, Mark, actually had clothes on, a tight black t-shirt and jeans. His hair was dark but a very dark brown, not the natural black.

“Hoseok,” he said as he took the hand and was surprised by the daunting grip that Mark gave.

“Hoseok,” Mark said as if tasting the word on his mouth before grinning in approval, “you look a little loss, hon.”

“W-well, yeah. I’m not…really sure…this is my first time—“ Hoseok mentally cursed at himself for stuttering and tripping over his words. He lifted his hand to scratch at the back of his neck, a sign of his frustration. He felt a little more at ease when Mark only smiled brightly.

“A virgin, huh? Well, why don’t you let me show you around?” Mark offered as he took Hoseok’s hand to entwine his fingers in. Hoseok was surprised by the intimate gesture but smiled slightly in agreement.

“Well, first and foremost, you must be special if you got invited here.” Mark said as he guided Hoseok through the thick crowd of essentially naked men.

“Invited? I wouldn’t really say ‘invited’” Hoseok uttered, again bringing his hand to scratch at the back of his neck.

“Of course you were invited. Not everyone is allowed in here, you know?” The way Mark’s lips moved to form his words hypnotized Hoseok and, now that his shock was slowly fading, he noticed how incredibly handsome Mark was. He was gorgeous. And he was holding his hand. Hoseok couldn’t help but to lost himself in his thoughts, like he always does, and Mark noticed and let his tongue slip out to lick his upper lip exposing his tongue piercing. It was a simple silver orb but the images it procured in Hoseok’s mind made his face flush a tomato red. For once, he was grateful for the darkness of the club.

“This place,” Mark continued as if he could see the thoughts going through Hoseok’s mind but entirely unfazed about as he looked around the club, “is for people who need to…de-stress.”

“De-stress? H-how?”

“However you need it.” Mark shrugged.

“Like…sex?”

“Sure, or whatever.” Mark’s nonchalant and vague answers were starting to bother Hoseok. You’re lucky you’re so damn hot, he thought.

“I mean, what else could you do here other than sex, with all this…nakedness,” Hoseok mused gesturing with his hand at the barely covered crotches in all directions. He was just about to bring his hand back to his neck when Mark grabbed it and curled his fingers around it. He stepped closer to Hoseok, placing their chests together, and Hoseok was hypnotized by his scent. He smelled so sweet yet masculine at the same time. It was hard to see in the dark, but Mark’s t-shirt hugged his muscles in all the right ways leaving nothing and everything to the imagination. And, boy, did Hoseok’s imagination run. He couldn’t hold back the groan that escaped his lips and the sudden trapping of his lower lip between his teeth, catching Mark’s attention. Mark seemed to stare at his lips for what seemed like hours, Hoseok starting to doubt whether Mark would kiss him at all. 

Mark’s eyes darkened before he brought his face closer to Hoseok and licked his lower lip, slowly, teasingly, making sure Hoseok felt his piercing glide against his plump lip.

Hoseok was frozen in place. Never has he been this close to another guy before let alone let him lick him in such a sexual way. The heat that travelled down to his core made his knees almost buckle and he had to shift a little in order to stay standing. The flustered expression on his face made Mark laugh brightly before he turned around, with his hand still entwined with Hoseok and continuing the impromptu tour as if nothing had happened.

Hoseok could do nothing more than follow as Mark guided him to an open seat at the bar, which was quite hard to find with all the people. When Hoseok sat he was confused when Mark disappeared but reappeared shortly after in front of him behind the bar.

“You’re the bartender?” Hoseok asked and wanted to drop dead when his voice cracked a little. Clearly, he was still not over Mark’s sensual lip licking.

Mark, hummed in response, “Mark the bartender,” he said with his bright smile ever present. Without asking he poured Hoseok a glass, a clear liquid, soju maybe, and placing it in front of him. Hoseok, gladly, downed it hoping it would calm his firing nerves.

“Like I said, this place is where certain people come to relieve their stress. Drop the facades of their lame and boring existences and, finally, live,” Mark’s eyes darkened slightly as he continued. “All sorts of people come and do all sorts of thing. This place is special because there are no rules. No bosses to follow around like puppy dogs. No judgment.”

Hoseok nodded as he listened, the drink helping him calm down a bit, so he pushed his glass forward in a silent request for a refill which Mark accepted naturally as he continued.  
“Whoever sent you here saw that this place was made for someone like you. They saw your potential.” At this Hoseok had to interject because it was starting to sound a little silly.

“Someone like me? Potential? Honestly that just sounds like a load of bullshit. That stripper girl only sent me back here because she was hurt that I wasn’t turned on by her dancing.” Mark gave Hoseok a sideways grin as he pushed the filled glass back to Hoseok.

“Probably. But that’s not the only reason. She saw something in you, or maybe, something that wasn’t in you. Perhaps you’re missing something.” Mark offered contemplatively as he used a towel to wipe at the bar counter not looking at Hoseok as he spoke.

“What could I possibly be missing?” Hoseok asked incredulously surprising even himself at his more relaxed tone. He brought the glass to his lips, stopping before taking a sip when Mark, once again, caught his eyes with his dark ones. They were so dark, almost black, and they looked to be hiding so much. Hoseok wanted to learn all his secrets.

“Pleasure,” Mark answered simply, his face absent of the bright smile and, instead, serious and challenging.

 

 

 

“Don’t you think they’ll find it weird that we’re not there?” Seokjin asked the two other men seated around the round table. They were in a room hazy from cigar smoke and the only light that was present was directly above them, produced by one fluorescent lightbulb hanging from a wire. The lightbulb swayed gently, casting their faces in shadows that moved as if they were animated.

“They’re all too focused on busting a nut to notice, we ain’t gotta worry” Yoongi said as he leaned back in his chair.

“What about Jimin, though. He’s always the one to catch things that others miss, no matter how drunk he is.” Seokjin couldn’t stop his leg from shaking and he leaned both elbows onto the table to stare at his colleagues directly in the eyes.

“True, Jimin is sharper than most. Nosy little fucker,” Namjoon laughed at his comment but it didn’t help ease Seokjin’s worry. His grin faded just as soon as it appeared and he sighed as he rubbed both hands over his face in a sign of exhaustions and boredom.

“Look, don’t worry about it. If one of them asks, we’ll just tell them that we got private dances,” Namjoon offered trying to soothe Seokjin’s mind.

“That makes the most sense, it should work just fine,” Yoongi agreed.

“It better,” Seokjin finally conceded, letting out sigh he didn’t know he was holding.

“It will,” Yoongi said.

Just then a figure appeared through a door in a dark corner that one wouldn’t know was there unless they’ve been there before.  
“Good to see you again, boss.”


	2. Just Right

Hoseok was up but he couldn't seem to open his eyes. He didn't remember anything after he had the conversation with Mark at the bar. Did he black out? What even was that drink that Mark had poured him? When he finally managed to pry his eyes open he was surprised to see that it was still dark. But where was he? He was laying on something soft, a bed or a couch, and he really just wanted to stay on it for the rest of his life. And he tried, too. He closed his eyes again and tried to make himself go back to sleep before his hangover kicked in because, with all the liquor he drank last night, he knew he was going to be a mess.

Hoseok was fading back to unconsciousness when he heard a groan from beside him. The voice was close and sounded like it was coming from both beside and above him. He was too sleepy to think anything of it, but then the couch or bed he was laying on started moving. First slightly, then obnoxiously, followed by a second groan.

"Dude, lay still," came a voice totally unfamiliar.

"I can't, my legs are numb," came another drowsy voice.

"Can you guys shut up?" This voice came from beside Hoseok's head to the right where as the other voices came from below him.

"Tell Jackson to scoot over," came the voice whose legs were supposedly numb. The talking and moving dragged Hoseok out of his almost-sleep and that's when he realized what he was actually sleeping on.

He was on a bed but he wasn't laying on it. He was on a pile of bodies. Naked _men's_ bodies. They were naked, and he was naked, and they were strangers...

The cacophony of surprised shouts and pained wails that sounded in the room when Hoseok, literally, stomped over them to get off the bed ensured that not one soul was left asleep.

"What the _fuck_ is going on?" Hoseok demanded, "who are you?"

"Apparently a fucking door mat with the way you just stepped on me, asshole," said a man with bleached blonde hair who was laying on his stomach and rubbing his back where Hoseok had used as step.

"W-why are you naked? Why am I naked?"

"Because you can't have sex with clothes on," said a guy with a baby face and slightly high voice. He was rubbing his legs attempting to get the feeling back in them. He was laying on his stomach as well so his ass was on full display for Hoseok. Hoseok couldn't look in his direction.

"S-sex? W-with who?"

"Uh...us?" said another guy. His hair was dark and he was bigger and more masculine than the guy with the baby face. He seemed taken aback by Hoseok's question and looked around at the group of males laying on the bed.

"B-b-but I don't even know you guys!"

"Hah! Yeah, same" said baby face with an obnoxiously innocent smile on his face that didn't belong in such a sinful scene.

"Oh yeah, did I forget to introduce you guys? Guys this is Hoseok, Hoseok this is Jackson, Jaebum, and BamBam," this voice was new, but it sounded very familiar. Hoseok's eyes widened when Mark lifted his head from the pillow and gave him a tired smile. Mark's body was hidden by Jaebum's since he was so much smaller. The three naked strangers nodded as if everything made sense now and they were about to relax once again when Hoseok freaked out.

"Wait, so I--we had sex? Last night? All of us?"

"Wow, you ask a lot of questions," the blonde one, Jackson, said as he lifted his arm up to prop his chin on his hand and look at Hoseok with a calm smile on his face.

"Total opposite from last night," Jaebum remarked.

"Yeah, he was more... _demanding_ ," baby face BamBam said.

"But--" Hoseok tried to continue but was cut off.

"So when can we do this again, huh, Mark?" BamBam asked.

Mark stretched his limbs out tiredly before replying, "That's not up to me."

All the men were sitting up at this point and, at Mark's statement, they all looked to Hoseok, with expectant eyes and waiting expressions. This sudden attention was enough to have Hoseok panic internally and, before he thought about what he was doing, he ran. He didn't know where he was until he ran out of the room but, surprisingly, he was still at the club.  He ran for the door that he knew led to the main part of the building and froze at the sight before him.

Jungkook was lounged on the couch that Hoseok left him in last night. His body was on the couch, more or less, but his head was hanging off the arm rest. Hoseok knew that once the boy woke up he was going to be rubbing his stiff neck for days. Hoseok was worried to see that Jungkook was his only friend in sight, where were the rest of his friends? Hosoek shook his head as he ran to Jungkook head and shook him awake.

"Jungkook! Wake up, dude!"

"H-huh? Wha--? OH DUDE, WHAT THE FUCK?!" Jungkook jumped off the couch so quickly he might have given himself whiplash. Jungkook held his hands out in front of him as if trying to hold a rabid animal back. Hoseok was utterly confused by this reaction until he followed Jungkook's stare and saw that he was still naked.

"OH! U-uuhh...aah" Hoseok mumbled trying to his his naked body behind his hands.

"What were you up to last night?" Jungkook questioned warily as he blinked hard a few times in an attempt to erase the image of Hoseok's balls from his head.

"Well, I-I...it doesn't matter. Where is everyone else?" Hoseok changed the subject urgently.

"Everyone else? They ain't here?" Jungkook asked dumbly, scratching his scalp.

"I am," a hand was raised from behind the couch Jungkook was sleeping on. It's incredible tininess and cuteness was enough evidence to pin its owner down right away.

"Jimin-ie, Hoseok's tried to have sex with me while I was sleeping," Jungkook cried in a very childish tone. His face showed utter disappointment when all he got in response was a mumbled "oh" from Jimin.

"Jimin, where is everyone?" Hoseok did not have the time or energy to play along with Jungkook's silly games.

Jimin sighed in annoyance before replying, "they left."

"Left?! Where?" Hoseok questioned disbelievingly.

"Ooh yeah, now that you mention it, I do remember Tae going to another room with the blonde chick." Jungkook says as he strokes his chin trying to recollect last night's events.

"Why the hell are there so many rooms in this place?" Hoseok mumbles more to himself than to anyone. "We gotta find them then kick rocks. I'm honestly sick of this place."

Jungkook gives Hoseok a doubtful look as he looks him up and down before asking slyly, "Are you really, though?"

Hoseok was just about to launch his counterattack before Jimin's whole body popped up as if he gave up on trying to sleep and mumbled, "I'll get them." He stopped and blinked a few time, rubbing at his eyes but stopping when he realized that the sight before him was not part of a dream. Jimin opened his mouth to question Hoseok's current state when a door opened to the left of them. Out came Yoongi, Namjoon, and Seokjin who all seemed well rested and put together compared to the terrible state Jungkook, Jimin, and especially Hoseok were in.

"Rise and shine, my lovelies, oh-" Seokjin stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his friends. Jungkook's shirt was ripped, revealing part of his chest and his hair was sticking in every possible direction. Jimin looked like a zombie and he was standing but leaning on the back of the couch seeing as he couldn't stand up on his own. His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly pouted. Hoseok was naked and his eyes seemed frantic.

"Where the hell are your clothes?" Yoongi deadpanned. His entire body was stiff and he was looking directly into Hoseok's eyes. His tone was threatening, but to whom the threat was directed to they did not know.

Hoseok gulped loudly, trying to think of an answer before deciding against it and changing the subject, "Taehyung's missing." Hoseok wasn't sure whether this tactic would work but when Yoongi blinked after a few seconds and looked around the room, he sighed in relief.

"Damn right, he is. Where did he go?" Namjoon asked the group.

"In there," Jimin mumbled as he pointed to a door adjacent to the one the three men just stepped out of. He was too tired to notice how all three men's eyes widened.

"A-are you sure?" Namjoon asked slowly.

"Yeah, I watched him go in with the blonde woman,"

"Me too," Jungkook added.

"Okay...well, we'll just go get him, then." Seokjin said as he stepped to head towards the door. The three boys were just going to follow when Seokjin interjected too loudly, "Oh! No, I-it's okay, I can go by myself." They thought that weird but Seokjin had been a little off recently. He said it was from all the stress from the restaurant and it seemed like good enough evidence for the boys. But Jimin couldn't help but narrow his eyes in suspicion.

"I'll go get Taehyung," Seokjin continued, "you guys get cleaned up. And Hoseok...find some clothes." Yoongi scoffed bitterly at this before leaning his back against the door they had come from. When Seokjin disappeared behind the door Jimin had pointed to, Namjoon started asking questions.

"So, what did you kids get up to last night?" He smiled wide enough to show his dimples when he saw the looks of confusion, contemplation, and trepidation etched onto his friends' faces. They did not answer and he took that as a good thing.

"So, " he continued as he grabbed Jungkook's shoulder comfortingly, "I guess you won't be coming here any more then, right?" His voice tilted in expectation.

Jungkook's lifted an eyebrow is disagreement before replying, "Are you kidding me? I'm gonna be coming back every weekend." He laughed gleefully. Namjoon dropped his hand from his shoulder.

"So...about this clothes situation," Yoongi said pointing at Hoseok, who seemed to shrivel up at the attention again.

"No time, we gotta get Tae out of here, now!" Seokjin came barreling out from the door with a naked Taehyung leaning limp against his body. His head was drooped forward, but when Yoongi came rushing over to check the situation, Taehyung's head flopped back to reveal a trail of blood coming from his nostrils and dripping from his chin onto his bare chest.

At the sight, everyone sprung into action with Yoongi holding Taehyung up from his other side. The rest of them led the way to the door, Jimin and Jungkook holding it open so Seokjin and Yoongi could carry Taehyung out into the alley easier.

"What's wrong with him?" Hoseok wailed as he pulled some paper fliers off from a wall and using them to shield his intimate parts from the curious stares aimed in their direction. He contemplated using one to cover Taehyung, but it would prove too difficult with the frantic way he was being dragged.

Seokjin stayed silent for a little too long and Hoseok wondered if he even heard him at all before he answered gruffly, 'I don't know."

"Where are we going?" Jimin asked with panic laced in his voice.

"To the restaurant, it's closer." Seokjin said with a firm tone that was rare to hear coming from him.

The boys nodded but otherwise kept their questions to themselves as they ignored the stares and gasps from the pedestrians on the sidewalk. They barreled through the crowd, Jungkook using his hands to move people out of the way. Hoseok couldn't use his hands since they were busy covering his body, but he really didn't need to since people tried their best to avoid coming into contact with his bare skin. Any other time, Hoseok would have crumbled in embarrassment, but his friend was in need so he couldn't care less how these people looked at him.

They seemed to reach the restaurant in record time, with Seokjin guiding them by yelling directions. When they reached the entrance, Seokjin passed Taehyung to Namjoon to hold so he could dig in his pockets to find the key. His hands were trembling terribly, but his face was blank perfectly hiding his worry. He lifted the key to the keyhole and had a lot of trouble putting it in, so much so that Jimin had to take the key from him and open the door himself. Seokjin nodded his head in silent thanks before opening the door and holding it to let the boys enter.

"Bring him to the kitchen so we can clean him up," Seokjin commanded.

Namjoon and Yoongi did as he said and Taehyung finally showed signs of life when he groaned and lolled his head back with dazed eyes. He passed out soon after which made him dead weight for the two men holding him. They dragged him to the back quickly and leaned him against the sink. Seokjin was behind them and, when they settled Taehyung, Seokjin got a paper towel and cold water to wipe the blood smeared all over Taehyung's face. He was wiping so gently with his trembling hands that no one wanted to interrupt them, but Yoongi seemed restless. After a few seconds of shifting from foot-to-foot, Yoongi wrenched the sink faucet on and grabbed the spray hose used to power wash hardened food off dishes. He squeezed the spray hose on and blasted Taehyung's face, which resulted in the younger boy squealing and flailing his arms out in front of him.

"YOONGI!" Seokjin screamed before grabbing the hose out of Yoongi's grip.

"What the fuck did you take last night?!" Yoongi demanded from Taehyung who was blinking water from his eyes.

"Wha-" before Taehyung could continue he swirled around to put his head in the sink and violently retching everything in his stomach. He seemed to vomit for what felt like hours and when he finished he collapsed onto his knees in a naked heap.

"Tae!" Hoseok cried as he reached out to him to try and catch him before he hurt himself. "Yoongi, what the fuck? Was that necessary?" He stood to challenge the man, looking down at him as he was at least a forehead taller than him. Yoongi wasn't intimidated, however, and stood his ground, locking their eyes together.

"Calm down, guys, shit!" Jungkook reprimanded as he stepped between the two men standing off.

"Guys, do you really think this is the best place to be doing this?" Namjoon boomed trying to catch the boys' attentions.

"What Yoongi did _was_ too much, though," Jimin offered diverting his eyes from everyone and instead focusing on Taehyung's unconscious form on the ground, now being tended to by Seokjin.

"Too much? Taehyung took 'too much' of whatever poisonous shit's got him puking his guts out," Yoongi challenged.

"Okay, everyone out!" Seokjin commanded and stood up to make his point clear. "Now."

Jimin and Jungkook were the first to exit the kitchen. Yoongi and Hoseok were still standing off before Hoseok scoffed and walked passed Yoongi purposefully bumping their shoulders as he did. Namjoon waited for Yoongi to leave before giving Seokjin a nod signaling his exit as he walked towards the door.

"Holler if you need anything," Namjoon offered. He waited for Seokjin to nod his understanding before leaving the kitchen, as well.

Seokjin gently brushed the hair from Taehyung's eyes as he tried to coo him back to consciousness. "Tae? Taehyung, wake up." After no response Seokjin lifted his palm and slapped Taehyung hard across the face, "Taehyung-ah!"

Taehyung woke with a start and he would have hit Seokjin's chin with his forehead if Seokjin hadn't have moved back as quick as he did. The sudden movement made Taehyung's head and stomach turn and he grabbed both before realizing how very naked he was. His throat was too dry to try and talk so he just groaned and picked his knees up to try and curl himself into a ball. Seokjin saw this and got up to go to a small locker in the corner than contained the aprons the cooks used while they cooked. It was a standard black apron, meaning Taehyung's entire backside would be exposed, but it was better than nothing. He handed it to Taehyung who accepted it gladly and wrapped the strings around his back before leaning back on his hands to try and will the nausea away.

Seokjin sat back down beside him and his face was so blank yet stern that Taehyung felt like a cornered puppy.

"Tell me what you remember."

 

 

 

 

The boys must have woken up pretty late because the sun was already at its highest point in the sky by the time they exited the kitchen and situated themselves around a table. It was pretty hot in the restaurant so Jungkook didn't mind take his shirt off and giving it to Hoseok to cover himself a little. Yoongi could sense that Hoseok was still pretty pissed about the kitchen situation so he sat furthest from him at the table.

The air was thick with tension and no one seemed to know how to break it, so they just sat there. Jungkook was the first to do something, getting up to stand and make eye contact with each boy at the table before meekly mumbling that he had to take a piss. Jimin followed. Leaving Namjoon to mediate the awkwardness between Yoongi and Hoseok.

"We're all just trying to help," Namjoon bravely started, he ignored Hoseok's scoff and continued, "we're also all just a little off right now. We woke up in a strange place, with strange people, it's no wonder we're so sensitive right now. Hoseok, you know how Yoongi is, you know he meant the best, right?"

Hoseok said nothing but the slight fire in his eyes faded enough to allow Namjoon to sigh in gratitude and give Yoongi a look that let him know he was off the hook, for now.

"And you, you rough bastard, you didn't have to be so cruel." Namjoon complained to Yoongi.

"It's called tough love, ever heard of it?" Yoongi deadpanned but the look in his face was odd. Regret, maybe?

"Tough love is never saying you love someone even when you do. What you did back there was just plain savagery." Hoseok murmured with a slight smile that showed that he was, indeed, over the whole fiasco. The other two laughed lightly, glad that the tension could be forgotten so easily. This was why they were friends.

Jungkook and Jimin came back relieved that they could empty their bladders and sit in peace without the possibility of a fight breaking out.

"What are we eating for breakfast?" Jungkook questioned as he eyed the leftover food from last night that they just left in the drunk reverie. As if on cue, Hoseok's stomach growled and he too wanted to know when they could eat.

"Soon, soon. Just as soon as we get news about Taehyung-" Namjoon got cut off by the kitchen door being kicked open. Taehyung marched out in all his semi-naked glory into the main area of the restaurant with his fists on his hips as if he were a commander of an army. The boys were startled and looked to Seokjin who just offered a weak shrug and walked passed Taehyung to sit next to Namjoon.

"You okay, dude?" Jungkook asked before sitting back in surprise when Hoseok stood up from his chair so quickly the chair crashed to the ground. Hoseok was too focused on Taehyung to even notice the quizzical stares he was getting from the table.

"Never better, babe." Taehyung chimed as he continued marching to the entrance of the restaurant. The echoes of "where are you goings" made him stop and look back behind him to gawk at the confused boys.

"Guys, it's Saturday." When he got only blank expressions in reply he added, "Hoseok-ie's sexy ass mom makes breakfast on Saturdays." He snapped his fingers three times in a command that meant, "so move your asses" and walked right out of the restaurant with his behind on full display. The boys could do nothing but follow as their stomachs growled in frustration of not being fed and the fact that Taehyung seemed just fine.

Hoseok ran to try and walk side-by-side with Taehyung, with Jungkook and Jimin following closely behind. Namjoon, Yoongi, and Seokjin trailed in the back. As they sauntered down the streets, walking with not a single care in the world, Namjoon couldn't help but giggle at the sight before him. The distressed hair, ripped clothing, and bare asses were evidence that these all these boys wanted to do in life was _live._

As the city streets slowly turned into the dilapidated suburb that they called home, Namjoon couldn't blame the happy-go-lucky attitudes of his friends. The boys have done nothing but struggle to get half of what other kids get easily so when they had a chance to let loose and not worry about pain, hunger, or loneliness, they jumped at it.

His thoughts were interrupted as he saw the ripple of Taehyung's back muscles as he stretched his arms out. Taehyung was a good looking guy, sexy even, but he was going to get himself in trouble with his easy going and cocky ways that could piss the wrong people off.

Taehyung was the first to reach the door of Hoseok's house and, instead of knocking, he just walked right in. It's not that Hoseok's mother didn't want the door locked, it's just that the lock was damaged after a night where one of Ms. Jung's ex-boyfriends broke the door down in a rage. It was just too costly and time consuming to fix, so they just lived with it.

As the door opened, the scent of cooking meat filled the boys' noses and they all but stumbled over one another to reach the kitchen where the smell was wafting from. Ms. Jung was not surprised at the wave of boys who piled into her kitchen but she was surprised, however, at the state of them. Two were naked, and the rest just looked terrible. She lips turned down at the corners before turning back to the stove where she was pan roasting sausage. She didn't have to ask what happened to them because they would tell her, anyways. They always did.

The boys made their way to the table and sat down waiting for the food to be assorted. It didn't take long for Ms. Jung to fill the table with the various banchan and sausage and the boys selfishly shoveled the food into their mouths. Ms. Jung waited patiently for them to finish and she perked up when Jungkook finished the last of the food on his plate before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand in preparation to recount last night's adventures.

"Ms. Jung, you would not believe where we went last night, it was _insane,_ " Jungkook voiced. He was just about to continue before Seokjin laughed loudly and rudely, cutting Jungkook off.

"How can you tell what happened if you can't even remember what you did last night?" Seokjin asked with his eyes squinted slightly. His easy smile was still on his face but the darkness in his eyes made Jungkook gulp audibly. It was silent for a moment before Ms. Jung quipped.

"Was it that good, then?" She asked obliviously.

"It was alright..." Hoseok trailed off.

"You look like you had a great time," Ms. Jung said to her son as she raised an eyebrow at him. This felt like the billionth time that sometimes has joked at his state of undress so he was unfazed by this comment, even if it came from his mother.

"It was great!" Jungkook sang with his uncontrollable gin of his face.

"Hmm, and what about you, Tae?"

"Huh?" Taehyung seemed so concentrated on picking up that last grain of rice with his chopsticks that he missed the entirety of the conversation. Ms. Jung laughed.

"Did you have fun last night?"

"Mmm, well, it was alright. Would have been more fun if you were there though," He winked and gave a sideways grin that didn't reach his eyes. Still, the rest of the table couldn't hold back the eye rolls from that corny comment. Ms. Jung laughed heartily before standing from the table announcing that she was off to work.

"Yeah, it's about time we got home, too. Jungkook smells like actual cat piss." Jimin half-joked before standing from the table as well. Jungkook grabbed his neck in a headlock and buried his nose in his arm pits.

"How's that for cat piss, huh?!" Jungkook roared with his teeth bared.

"Alright! Alright, I was joking!" Jungkook released Jimin after deeming his apology sufficient. "You don't smell like cat piss, it's more like cat feces." And before Jungkook could grab him into another headlock, Jimin was racing towards the front door out of the house with Jungkook close on his tail. Namjoon, Seokjin, and Yoongi stood at the same time ready to make their exits when Yoongi groaned.

"I left my skateboard back at the restaurant, shit."

"You don't even live that far, you can walk," Seokjin laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Yoongi didn't say much else which just proved how tired and done with the day he was already, even when it just started.

"Be good, wash up, take a nap," Namjoon told the two remaining boys over his shoulder as he crossed the living room to the front door.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Seokjin sounded before turning back to the two boys. He fished in his pocket while walking back towards them and pulled out two black rectangular objects. "Here and here," he said as he handed them their cell phones. Hoseok and Taehyung were the most forgetful boys of the group and they have lost their phones more times than they could count on two hands, so Seokjin always carried them when the boys got drunk. Seokjin was always the reliable one, a silent figure that watched over them. "Okay, I'm off, take a rest! Oh, and Hoseok, you should really check your phone. It's been going off for a while." And with that Seokjin was gone and the boys were alone.

"So...are you okay-" Hoseok's inquiry was cut off and Taehyung stood abruptly.

"I'm taking a shower," and he was gone faster than Hoseok could think of a response. He sighed in resignation wishing he knew what was wrong with his friend and wishing he could help. Taehyung was always so cheerful and carefree but Hoseok knew it was just a front to avoid the serious issues. Taehyung was constantly worried but about what, no one knew. He spent most of his time at Hoseok's house, but what he did outside was unknown to anyone, not just Hoseok. Hoseok was lost in his thoughts but was pulled out of it when his phone vibrated. It was a cheap phone because he always lost them so it was safer not to invest in something too expensive. He didn't really mind as long as it sent texts and made calls, the extra stuff was just that, extra.

He looked at his phone and what was on the screen left him frozen for a second.

 

**Markie Mark:** _Wow, didn't think you were the hit it and quit it type of guy_ [Sent today 10:22 AM]

**Markie Mark** : _You were great last night_ ;) _if ur not responding bc ur embarrassed there's no need_ [Sent today 10:40 AM]

**Markie Mark:** _Oh it's Mark btw. But you should already know that since you took my number last night lol_ [Sent today 10:41 AM]

 

Hoseok wasn't sure how to respond, whether he should even respond at all. He stared at the texts for a few minutes before deciding to text back. _Just gotta keep it casual_ , he thought.

 

**HoeSuckie** : _I don't think you can call it hitting and quitting if I can't even remember doing the hitting_ [Sent today 10:44 AM]

 

The text was simple and neutral and Hoseok was proud of himself. Then his heart leapt into his throat when his phone vibrated not even two minutes later.

 

**Markie Mark** : _That's a shame. Should we fix that?_ [Sent today 10:45 AM]

 

Hoseok dropped his phone to the table in annoyance. Was he really that amazing in bed? And if he was, wouldn't he have remembered it? He really was going to ignore this text since he really had no response but he grabbed the phone so quick when it vibrated again.

 

**Markie Mark:** _I'm not the only one who misses you. The guys have been asking about when you'll be back._ [Sent today 10:46 AM]

 

Hoseok paused before typing, really thinking about what to send back.

 

**HoeSuckie:** _Aren't there better guys you could be gushing over?_ [Sent today 10:48 AM]

 

Wasn't this true, though? _Why me?_ Hoseok thought to himself.

 

**Markie Mark:** _Are there?_ [Sent today 10:49 AM]

**HoeSuckie:** _Yes._ [Sent today 10:50 AM]

**Markie Mark:** _Better than you?_ [Sent today 10:50 AM]

**HoeSuckie:** _Yes._ [Sent today 10:50 AM]

**Markie Mark:** _Nope_ :)  [Sent today 10:51 AM]

**HoeSuckie:** _Whatever_ [Sent today 10:51 AM]

**Markie Mark:** _Are you doubting me?_

_Anyways, this is a convo we should have in person._

_Come back tonight? We can just talk if you want._

_Besides, you have to pick up your clothes anyways, right_ ;)   [Sent today 10:53 AM]

 

Hoseok didn't reply back because he couldn't think of another response. Mark made a solid point about having to pick up his clothes, that was his favorite, and only, pair of blue jeans that still fit him well. But tonight? He just crawled out of that hell hole and now Mark is asking him to go back? Tonight was only a handful of hours from now, was it smart to go back? He was contemplating the pros and cons when Taehyung stepped back into the kitchen with damp hair and a pair of Hoseok's underwear.

"Why do you look like you're trying to use the Force do annihilate your phone?" Taehyung joked

"O-oh it's nothing. My phone just died when I tried to text Seokjin to see if he made it back home okay," Hoseok offered weakly, "are you done in the bathroom."

"All yours," Taehyung said, none the wiser to the inner distress his friend was under.

Hoseok grabbed his phone from the table, subconsciously holding it behind his back in an attempt to hide the contents of it from his best friend. He could think about this more after he took a much needed shower. He quickly raced passed Taehyung but didn't miss the sweet smell of his mother's shampoo wafting from his hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised I would update tonight and I did.  
> Now I'm going to sleep, ugh!
> 
> Leave Kudos and Comments if you like, otherwise how would I know to keep writing, huh?
> 
> With thanks and love,  
> abx


	3. Flashback

"Wait...so we weren't supposed to drink the soju?" Yoongi was currently nursing a headache that made the world around him seem too bright, too loud, and too close. It was only made worse by the marathon that he had to run this morning and he was just glad to be heading home, on foot rather than on his motorized board.

"What sense would it make for seven men to be roaming the streets drunk as shit?" Namjoon said with a slight smile on his face when he glanced at Yoongi who held his aching head in his hand. He continued, "Someone had to be watching."

Yoongi would have told Namjoon that he agreed but talking just made his brain vibrate terribly so he just stayed silent. Seokjin and Namjoon knew his silence was that of agreement so they dropped the conversation.

They let Yoongi lead the way to his house with Yoongi in the front and center and the two other boys sauntering on the sides to make a triangle. Namjoon looked up to the sky with squinted eyes and noted how there was not a cloud in sight, _another deathly hot day_ , he thought to himself. Seokjin's forehead was sheened with a very thin layer of sweat but he still looked glorious as always with his lightly tanned skin and light brown hair. Seokjin looked as if he had slept for ten hours what with his skin so luminous and his eyes so bright, but Namjoon knew his friend didn't sleep for more than three hours. All last night, he was fretting over the younger boys, hoping they were safe and, though he trusted the company of the women, he couldn't help but feel like something dangerous was happening right under his nose. Namjoon only got him to settle down after telling him for the umpteenth time that nothing was going to happen to them. Namjoon would protect them, he always did.

That is, until this morning when they found the sweaty dirty pile of mess that was their friend Taehyung. They still didn't know what he had taken but he seemed rather fine after the fiasco in the kitchen of the restaurant, or at least that was he thought. Namjoon looked back over at Seokjin and noticed the slight hesitation in his eyes. There was something else, too. Guilt, maybe? Namjoon made a mental note to ask Seokjin when they got back to their place.

Namjoon's reverie was broken when Yoongi grumbled out, "We've been walking for ten years now. I feel like we passed my house. We must be in China, guys turn back," Yoongi made to swirl around to head in the opposite direction before he stumbled but was luckily caught by Namjoon and Seokjin.

"Are you still drunk?" Namjoon asked incredulously. Drunk Yoongi was a rare sight indeed and they didn't even see him last night after they separated from the younger boys. Yoongi mumbled something about "taking care of some business" before disappearing behind a door. They finally found him the next morning next to them as if nothing was off. Namjoon made another mental note to ask Yoongi when he was more sober.

"Drunk?" Yoongi pronounced the word like he had never heard it before and blinked up at Namjoon with completely innocent eyes. Too innocent for Min Yoongi. Namjoon's raised eyebrow brought Yoongi back to reality as he said, "D-duh it was a joke. I know exactly where we are," he scoffed. He shrugged the men's hands from his body and started to walk swinging his arms like he was a toy soldier. He walked passed Seokjin and Namjoon with the most determined look on his face. Yoongi needed to get home, only his home was in the opposite direction of where he was walking.

"Wrong way," Namjoon declared looking over his shoulder at his very drunk friend. Yoongi halted with his arms frozen in the air where they had stopped their swinging. He dropped them dejectedly and cleared his throat before slowly turning back around towards his friends. He had walked about a good six steps before Namjoon called out to him and he couldn't help the look of betrayal that masked his face as he looked between his two friends. 

"How far were you going to let me go?" Yoongi cried with a slightly higher pitch then usual.

"I thought you knew exactly where you were," Seokjin said mockingly, his first words since they left Hoseok's house. Namjoon looked at him to see a playful smile on his face and his insides warmed at the sight. Namjoon missed the smiling and bright Seokjin because, lately, his friend had been replaced by a worried and dull imposter. Namjoon wished he could find out what was worrying his best friend this time.

Yoongi dropped his head back dramatically and ran his fingers through his bleached locks. He hated asking for help but he hated admitting defeat even more. He kept his head back and his eyes closed as he used his hand, not in his hair, to reach out towards his two giggling friends. Nothing happened for a few long seconds and he wondered whether his friends had left him before a warm hand enfolded itself around his cold pale one and pulled.

Namjoon smiled as he led he walked hand-in-hand with his short drunk friend. Yoongi walked between Seokjin and Namjoon and his crooked staggering made him bump shoulders with both men multiple times, though none of them minded. Yoongi walked with his eyes closed and trusted his friends to lead him home and was giddy when he opened his eyes to find his less than impressive front door before him. It was ashy and worn out, made from a wood that looked as if its sole purpose in the world was to splinter. Anyone who dared knock on the door was guaranteed to be impaled by a wooden sword so it was best to just turn the knob and walk in. Which is what Seokjin did. Yoongi didn't lock his door because there was no point, there was nothing worthy of stealing inside. Namjoon led him towards the couch which he used as a bed and was looking for a blanket to cover the pale man with. He gave up when he saw the disastrous mess of the place and knew he wouldn't be able to find anything even if he tried.

Seokjin disappeared for a minute then came back holding a trash can which he placed beside an already passed out Yoongi. "He might need that," he said as he straightened. Namjoon just nodded before nodding towards the front door. Seokjin sighed tiredly before walking to the door with Namjoon right behind him. The events of last night and this morning were exhausting, to say the least, and all the men wanted to do was lay in their beds. They left the house with Namjoon closing the door quietly as not to rouse their friend.

 

 

It didn't take long for Namjoon and Seokjin to get to their shared apartment a couple of blocks away from the restaurant. It was a new space which they bought a couple of months back when new revenue was starting to come in. After some stressful times with the restaurant, Namjoon insisted on Seokjin moving in with him and it took a lot of convincing and begging, but he agreed at last. Seokjin went straight to the shower after taking his shoes off at the entrance so Namjoon waited in the living room and he made coffee. He poured a cup for himself and Seokjin and sighed heavily as he ran his large hands over his tired eyes.

_What a fucking night_ , he thought. But he was relieved it was over, honestly. They could never make a mistake like that again, of all places to get stuck in, they got stuck at  _that_ club. He was stressed the entire night and he knew Seokjin must have been delirious with panic. He didn't notice how long he had been zoned out until Seokjin entered the kitchen dressed in a black suit with a matching tie and took a sip of the coffee.

He pulled a face as he said, "It's cold."

Namjoon blinked before retorting, "No one told you to take such a long shower."

Seokjin scoffed but didn't say anything as he sat next to Namjoon on a stool placed at the kitchen island. They were quiet for a minute, neither of them brave enough to break the silence that had befallen them. They were close enough friends that they didn't have the constant urge to fill the silence with useless conversation, but this silence was nerve wracking. Namjoon gulped, his throat dry but he didn't want to sip the cold coffee in front of him.

"You okay?" Namjoon mentally punched himself when his voiced cracked. He didn't know why but he always got nervous when Seokjin was upset. Hiding behind the sad eyes was a sinister darkness that he could, and would, never figure out.

"I'm fine, why?" Seokjin asked with an air of casualness that didn't fit the tense atmosphere.

"I don't know. You just seem a bit...off lately," Namjoon thought his words out carefully because he didn't want to risk further upsetting his friend.

"Off how?" Seokjin turned to look at Namjoon slowly. The slow turn of his head was threatening almost as if daring Namjoon to say something wrong.

Namjoon stared at Seokjin and caught the look in his eyes before quickly looking down into the dark liquid in his cup. He must have put too much water in the mix this time because his reflection was a little too visible. His face was scared. He was scared.

"N-nevermind. I m-must have been imagining things," Namjoon forced out a laugh but it just sounded like a large exhale. He swallowed but it hurt since his throat was so dry.

Seokjin stared at him silently. The stare was so unnerving that Namjoon wanted to just curl into a ball on the floor. Namjoon loved to be in control of all things so this feeling of helplessness was so foreign to him, but it was becoming a common occurrence these days.

After the incident months back, Seokjin had changed. His selfless deeds became selfish. His caressing words became constricting. His inviting eyes became shut off. He was unpredictable and moody when he used to be a constant source of comfort and stability. Namjoon doesn't blame Seokjin for changing at all. Anyone would devolve into a heartless human being if they went through half of what Seokjin went through. No, he doesn't blame Seokjin, at all. He blamed himself. Seokjin would not have been hurt if it weren't for Namjoon.

Which is why he stays by Seokjin's side. He waits like a puppy dog for a smile from the other man or an empty laugh at the least. What he really wants, however, is Seokjin's forgiveness. The question of when, or even if, he would get that was a consistent presence in his mind.

Namjoon looked back up at Seokjin when he still didn't say anything. His eyes gaped when he saw how cold, how _demanding,_ Seokjin's eyes were. They commanded Namjoon to tell him what was on his mind, but Namjoon was shocked to silence. He was honestly scared of how Seokjin would react to his words and he didn't want to suffer the consequences.

Suddenly, Seokjin's hand shot out and gripped a handful of Namjoon hair and tugged viciously. Namjoon opened his mouth in a silent scream and his eyes welled with unshed tears at the strain of his scalp. Seokjin's grip tightened even further when Namjoon said nothing, still, and the tears finally fell.

Namjoon felt a wetness in his scalp and the smell of iron filled his nose. His scalp felt like it was on fire and he wanted it gone so badly. He didn't have the sense to filter his words before blurting, "Are they after you again?!"

The death grip on his scalp loosened slightly from shock and Namjoon took this opportunity to look at Seokjin with wet eyes. Namjoon could feel something wet dripping down his neck. His friend stared back at him with empty eyes but they were so _dark._ Namjoon blinked a few times before whispering cautiously, "The gangsters? Are they after you again?"

Seokjin blinked before giving his friend a sinister smirk. He pushed Namjoon's head away while releasing his grip. His dropped his hand to reveal that it was coated in a thick red liquid. Namjoon's blood. Seokjin looked at his hand disapprovingly before grabbing the roll of paper towels that was on the island and cleaning his hand off carelessly. There was red fingerprints on the roll where Seokjin gripped it, the sight making Namjoon feel a little embarrassed.

Seokjin dropped the soiled paper towels back on the island as he sighed dramatically. "My little Namjoon, always trying to protect me. Well, you don't have to worry, no one's after me."

Namjoon looked down at the stained paper towels, fighting back to urge to place his fingers on his scalp to see just how much he was bleeding.

Seokjin continued, "The only people who should be worried are them," Seokjin finished ominously. Namjoon looked to see that Seokjin was looking in front of him but his eyes were far away. _What is going through his mind?_ Namjoon wondered. Seokjin got up and walked towards the door while shouting behind his back, "Don't forget, 9:30 tonight. Have some rest, oh, and take a shower." Seokjin laughed as he said the last part, actually amused.

Namjoon let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when Seokjin closed the door behind him. He didn't move for a little over five minutes before picking up the paper towels stained with his blood and throwing them away in the garbage with careful fingers. Even though it was his blood, he had no interest in touching it. He carried the cups of barely drunken coffee over to the sink and poured the liquid down the drain. 

He didn't bother washing them as he headed to the bathroom to cleanse himself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It took Jimin a moment to realize that the overwhelming warmth encircling him was not from his blanket but from muscled arms. He was lying on his side and, from the stiffness of it, he concluded that his head was resting on another arm. He tried to shift to see who was behind him but failed when he noticed that a head was resting in the crook of his neck, making any movement impossible. He wanted to rouse whoever this was awake because he was just too warm but the way his body fit so perfectly against the one behind him made him hesitate. He recognized his surroundings of that being his room, so he knew that it could only be one of six men behind him. He really hoped it was _him,_ though.

The person behind him was still so Jimin assumed it meant that he was asleep. He took advantage of the passed out boy and did something he would never admit to in a million years. He sniffed his arm.

Jimin prided himself in his keen sense of smell so he figured he could tell who was cuddling against him by their smell. Plus, who doesn't know how the love of their life smells?

Amber and vanilla. Only one person that Jimin knew emanated that sweet concoction of elements. Jimin smiled to himself.

He had forgotten how he had ran with Jungkook to his house after the playful teasing, for they had passed out in his bed immediately after racing into the room. Not before a mini match of play wrestling, which mostly consisted of Jungkook dominating Jimin on the too small bed. Jimin very clearly remembers, however, that both boys had fallen asleep on their backs with only their legs intertwined since there wasn't enough space. How they ended up in this tangled mess was beyond Jimin, but he really didn't care. He was in pure ecstasy at that moment.

Jimin shifted slightly to settle into hold of Jungkook but froze with his eyes gaped as if he was a cartoon. Either there was a remote trapped between their bodies, which was highly unlikely since there was no TV in his room, or Jungkook was having a very nice dream, indeed. Jimin didn't know what to do because he couldn't move since Jungkook held onto him so tightly but he couldn't just stay still either because his ass was brushing against something he wasn't sure he should be touching. Jimin forced himself to calm down and closed his eyes in a childish attempt of hiding from this situation. _I'll just pretend I was sleeping and didn't notice his huge hard-on,_ Jimin thought to himself.

His plan failed almost as soon as it was erected as Jimin felt Jungkook shift and lift his leg to enclose Jimin's lower half like a protective boyfriend. Jimin couldn't contain the surprised squeak that escaped his gaping mouth when he felt Jungkook's boner settle, almost perfectly, between his ass cheeks. Jimin was so frozen he could swear that his heartbeat ceased as well for a few seconds, but the new position that Jungkook had put him in was a little uncomfortable. All Jimin had to do was bend his knee slightly and the pressure felt on his hipbone and lower back would ease, but that would also push his ass back _more_ against Jungkook's dick.

Jimin tried to tolerate the discomfort but it became too unbearable. _And it's too fucking warm,_ Jimin cursed silently. He mentally slapped himself for the pressure he was giving himself and he just bent his knee. _That wasn't so hard, drama queen._ Jimin laughed at himself for being so worried and shifted more to get more comfortable. The slight smile on his face disappeared instantly as the shifting he was doing caused the lowest moan to escape Jungkook's sleepy chest. It was so low, Jimin felt his back vibrate from it being pressed against Jungkook's chest.

Jungkook was a boy, or rather a man now, that enjoyed pleasure in all its different manifestations. The drunken airiness that came from alcohol, the rough but smooth burn of exercise, and, very obviously, sex. Jungkook was an animal in bed and Jimin was not ignorant of this fact. Like Taehyung, Jungkook didn't reserve his libido to only one sex, but he did seem to have a preference for women. "It's because they make the most delicious sounds," Jungkook said and it seemed to be accepted because no one questioned him further on the issue. So it came as no surprise that, even in his sleep, Jungkook's instincts reacted seeking pleasure from his surroundings. And his surroundings at that moment just happened to be Jimin.

Jimin gasped as Jungkook's arms encircled his torso closer to him and his pelvis plunged down lazily into the deep valley of Jimin's ass. As Jungkook was still sleeping, he didn't move again, much to Jimin's chagrin. Jimin surprised himself, however, when he lifted his ass to mirror Jungkook's previous action. Jimin felt a slight tightness below him so he looked down, as well as he could with Jungkook's head still cradled in the crook of his neck, to see just how hard he had become. Jimin felt his face warm at the sight, _how could I get so hard when we didn't even do anything?_ Jimin snorted to himself, _you know why, dumbass._

Jimin dropped his pride and rubbed his ass against Jungkook's hard cock. _So this is what it feels like to do what feels good without worrying about consequences, huh?_ Jimin simultaneously rubbed his dick against his bedsheets to try and get some type of friction and he could already feel the droplets of precum wetting the inside of his boxers. He was still in his jeans from last night so he reached down to impatiently pull down the zipper as he shamelessly tried to get off using his hand instead of the unforgiving cotton of his boxers. A little voice inside his head was yelling at him to stop, crying out about how much of a pathetic mess he must look like rubbing his ass against his sleeping crush, but he ignored it, declaring that he, too, could have fun without being scared.

A long exhale against his neck sent Jimin's nerves on overdrive. He moved his hand faster, tracing the slit of the tip with his thumb nail, hiccupping his moans in order to not wake up Jungkook. Jungkook always had a weird habit of smacking his lips while he slept, which his friends always made fun of him for, but not now. Jimin was so thankful for this habit because, as Jungkook opened his mouth, his tongue darted out just slightly against Jimin's neck, which was all he needed to fall over the cliff.

Jimin closed his eyes tightly as the wave took over his body, coating every cell of his body. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until his chest ached in protest and, only then, did his mind scream in mortification. He must have jerked during his climax because Jungkook shifted to roll of Jimin and look around confusedly. Jimin's hand was covered in his cum and his dick was still out so he rolled over onto his stomach with his soiled hand trapped between his abdomen and the bed.

Jimin was good at pretending to be asleep and/or sleepy and he did it a lot. This time was no exception.

Jungkook sat up in the tiny bed and was still. He was so still, in fact, that Jimin became extremely nervous. He tried to calm his breathing down in order to not show that he was awake. He was even more surprised when, instead of trying to wake Jimin up, Jungkook rolled out of the bed nonchalantly and walked out of the room. Jimin wondered whether Jungkook might have just gone to the bathroom but was, instead, greeted to the sound of the front door opening and closing. There wasn't a slam or heavy footsteps to give clues to whether Jungkook was angry at Jimin or not. Just a casual exit.

Jimin didn't know what to think at that moment and stayed in bed with his face still buried in the pillows as he tried to decode Jungkook's weird behavior.

Did he know what Jimin just did? Was he actually angry about it? Even if he was angry, wouldn't he have confronted Jimin about it? Was his silence a sign of acceptance or rejection? Would Jungkook ever look at Jimin again? All these thoughts raced through Jimin's head, the pressure of not knowing what was going on with Jungkook weighing on him. He felt suffocated and ashamed and, most of all, he regretted everything. It was so easy for his other friends do just _do_ yet he always had a hard time about letting himself go. He always thought about the consequences of his actions and his overthinking always kept him from acting. He didn't let himself think before pleasing himself and, because of that, his friendship with Jungkook might be over.

_I'll just slowly die in the shower,_ Jimin thought as he eventually rolled out of bed towards the bathroom across the hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seokjin's fingers tapped relentlessly at his phone as he sent a text message, his blank face contrasting with his impatient fingers. He was sitting in the back seat of a black 2016 Lexus RC 350, a sleek vehicle with catlike headlights and roaring grille that signaled deadly importance. Namjoon bought it as a gift for Seokjin a couple months back after all that shit that happened. _All that bullshit,_ Seokjin thought to himself as he recalled the events that influenced Namjoon's probing half an hour ago.

 

 

 

Seokjin was ecstatic that he finally saved enough money to buy the empty restaurant on the corner of the street that he passed everyday on his was to one of his many part-time jobs. He felt that his time was wasted if he wasn't doing something with food, either eating it or cooking it, so he desperately wanted the building. With long hours andtons of odd jobs, Seokjin finally bought the building in cash.

It was a solid opening, with his six friends inviting everyone from their school to eat, which eventually led to the students' families eating there, too. The comfort food attracted many people and it quickly became a solid investment. Seokjin was genuinely happy but he began to worry when people warned him about the gangsters patrolled the streets, seeking any revenue they could get their hands on.

"Hide your money," the elderly women would warn. But it was no use.

Seokjin just finished another successful day at the restaurant and was sitting in the back room counting the tips that he would allocate to his workers for the day. Out of nowhere, his ears ringed with the sound of glass shattering. There was so much broken glass, in fact, that the shards that sprinkled to the ground continued to melody for several seconds. Seokjin got to his feet instinctually and, though he was never a confrontational person, he readied himself for conflict. This was his restaurant, his _baby_. Seokjin prided himself in being able to make this building and himself a something that literally came out of nothing. He would fight to protect what was his.

"Hellooooo," an obnoxious male voice bellowed from the front of the restaurant. It was obnoxious in that it was too jolly for such a violent atmosphere, but it was not ugly. In fact it was deep and sultry and, though it would be in dangerous circumstances, Seokjin kind of wanted to see what this man looked like.

It didn't take long for the perpetrator to reveal himself and Seokjin couldn't help himself as he gawked at the man before him. His hair was black and slicked back only slightly to show just the tiniest bit of his forehead. His lips were full and the shape of them made it look like he was constantly puckering. He was lean but not skinny and his legs moved under him easily, almost lazily. When this man placed his eyes on Seokjin he pulled his lips back in a grin to reveal perfect straight, white teeth. His face was round but not chubby and his skin was clear and tan. As the man got closer, Seokjin had to tilt his head back to maintain eye contact because this man was so damn tall, he had to be a little over six feet. The intense stare down that took place, with Seokjin too out of his element to react, and this man giving an air of confidence that didn't need explaining, lasted for what felt like hours to Seokjin, but really it was only ten seconds.

Seokjin's stare was broken when he heard more footsteps coming from behind this giant of a man and felt terror freeze his entire blood when he saw five men enter his already claustrophobic office with one gun in each of their hands. There were big and tall as well, but not as tall as the man directly in front of Seokjin, who he assumed was their leader. They were clad in black suits and sunglasses that, to Seokjin, looked quite ridiculous since it was dark out, but, nonetheless, they were scary. Seokjin started at them with gaping eyes until the man before him spoke, making Seokjin divert his eyes back to him.

"I don't know if you heard but uhm...your front door is completely shattered." The man said with an easy drawl. Seokjin only stared back so the man continued, "My friends here," he pointed to the burly men behind him, "noticed and we just came in to see if everything was okay." Seokjin knew that these men were the ones who broke his door and the fact that this man could lie so easily in front of him pissed Seokjin off.

"So which one of your _friends,_ " Seokjin surprised even himself with his steady and mockingly calm voice, "is going to fix it?" The man laughed under his breath, not taking his eyes off Seokjin.

The man didn't even blink when he replied, "And why should we fix it?" His tone got lower, more threatening.

Seokjin didn't let this faze him as he accused, "Well you broke it, didn't you? I don't know who you are but you're going to pay for this."

The silence that filled the small office was deafening.

"Yes, you really _don't_ know who I am because, if you did, you would show more me more respect." Seokjin blinked. Respect? The giant continued, "I can either be your biggest help or your worst nightmare. It all depends on what you say next," the man smiled again and Seokjin noticed how young this man truly was. When Seokjin, again, said nothing, the man cleared his throat in impatience. Seokjin jerked at the sound but was confused for a second. _Did he ask me something? Did I miss the question?_ Seokjin gulped before replying.

"I don't need your help, thank you. Now if you'll please?" Seokjin lifted his hand towards the door of the office indicating that he was done with the conversation and this situation. He'd pay for the goddamned door if it would get these men out of his restaurant.

As if on cue, the five men lifted their guns to point at Seokjin's face. Seokjin didn't notice that he was moving backwards until the heel of his left foot hit the wall behind him. He gulped louder this time, his throat dry, the he knew his blank mask had cracked to reveal his terror. The man smiled at the sight and sauntered around the desk that had separated Seokjin from the invaders. He sat on top of the desk, facing Seokjin, as if he owned the place, and lifted papers on the desk to inspect them before throwing them carelessly around the office. He did this for a few minutes, as if he had forgotten that Seokjin was there, but when he lifted his eyes back up at the scared man, his eyes screamed a deadly impatience. He didn't say anything, just looked at Seokjin, and Seokjin took this as a sign that he should say something, _anything_.

"W-what do you w-want from me?" Seokjin all but whispered.

"Isn't it obvious?" The man asked, genuinely confused. When Seokjin just blinked he scoffed in his throat before putting that jolly smile onto his face, once again. "Ahh, right. You don't know me, I forgot. Well, let me tell you the tales of this city you call home, huh?" The huge grin that spread across the man's face was pretty but Seokjin couldn't focus on this as the man took a deep breath in preparation to tell "the tales of this city."

"My name is Kim Jisoo, and I own you." The fact that this _boy_ said this to Seokjin made him want to walk right over to him and slap him across the face, but the guns inhibited him from doing this, so he just narrowed his eyes as the he continued, "Well, I should say, my family owns you. We own everything and everyone in this city actually, and other cities, of course. Agma? Have you heard of this?" Again silence, "No? Well let me enlighten you. You know from your history books that this town was pathetically poor. You also know from your history books that the town gained tremendous wealth when business men came and poured huge investments into this tiny little town to boost its economy." Seokjin did remember hearing about this, for their little town on the outskirts of Seoul was very poor, but business men from all over suddenly came one day and opened businesses and financed loans. Poor families were able to become small business owners and gain profits to send their children to school and later to college. Seokjin was confused as to why this man, this Kim Jisoo was telling him this.

"Did anyone ever tell you what kind of businesses were being run?" Kim Jisoo asked with a slight tilt in his voice indicating that he was actually interested in what Seokjin would answer. Seokjin's dad opened a small restaurant when he was younger, part of the reason why Seokjin wanted to keep this legacy alive to honor his family, so when Seokjin told Jisoo this the amused response he got ticked him off. This guy, no matter how handsome he was, was so fucking _annoying._

"Restaurants? Really? As if Seoul doesn't have enough restaurants. Nope, try again." The man patronized as if this was a game show.

Seokjin rolled his eyes before he could stop himself and replied, "I don't want to."

"Want to what? Live?" At the end of his question, a man to the left of Jisoo clicked the safety off his gun and straightened his body just that little bit more to indicate that he was not playing around. "Respect," Ji soo reminded, "try again." He all but growled this last part out as he dropped his chin slightly to glare at Seokjin.

Seokjin racked his brain to think about what could possibly be so profitable in this little town. What was his family called? Agma? Like the devil? Were they a religious cult? Seokjin was not at all sure that the sudden raid into his restaurant was the mission of devil worshippers but he couldn't think of anything else so he replied, quite pathetically, "Uhh, church...shit?"

He jumped at the raucous laughter that escaped the man in front of him. Seokjin was even more perturbed by the very slight smirks the men still holding those fucking guns at his face made, as well. He was pissed that he was being laughed at, more so because he couldn't do anything about it. He gritted his teeth as he waited for Jisoo to calm down.

"The name must have confused you. We're only called Agma because, with everything we've done in this shitty little town, by the time we die, even the Devil will make room for us to rule Hell." Seokjin blanched at this. Who were these people?! "There is one thing man cannot live without and will pay their entire fortune to have. Power. And what grants you power in a world filled with such competitive spirits all trying to get to the top? Pleasure. And that's where Agma comes in. We supply anyone anything that could grant them even the smallest sliver of pleasure; drugs, weapons, sex, you name it. But all these things are quite expensive and, while we love supplying our neighbors with their deepest desires, it cannot come without a price. This is where good citizens like you come in, uhh...what's your name?"

The fact that this man broke the door to his restaurant, barged into his office that he paid for, had men point guns at his face, sit at his desk like he owned it, laugh at his fear and talk to him like he was a child, the bitter fact that this Kim Jisoo did not even know his name. Seokjin saw red. He charged forward like a bull whose been probed at for too long, he growled with a rage that he has never experienced before. How dare this man talk to him like this? So what if he thought he owned this city, this was Seokjin's restaurant, he made this building shine and gain popularity with his own money that he worked for years to get.

Jisoo was too fast, however, and stepped to the side just in time to miss Seokjin's attack. Before Seokjin could prepare himself for another attack, huge hands had seized hold of his wild arms and dragged him across the desk. He landed on the ground with a sickening thud as his head slammed against the unforgiving hardwood. He was dazed and didn't notice that he was being dragged up until what felt like a battering ram had pounded his abdomen. The vicious blow made Seokjin feel nauseous as his stomach swelled in electrifying pain. Another fist hammered into his rib cage and the thunderous crack of a rib made Seokjin wail in agony. Seokjin suffered several blows before a voice boomed to cease. As Jisoo lazily walked to the two men who were holding a sagging Seokjin between them, the only sound in the room were his footsteps and Seokjin's labored wheezing.

"You're not gonna try that again, are you?" Jisoo had to bend over to make eye contact with Seokjin. Seokjin didn't, or rather, couldn't answer. It hurt to breathe, let alone talk, but the silence seemed to be adequate for Jisoo.

"I was joking before. Of course I know who you are, Kim Seokjin. I know everyone in this town because, as I've already told you, I own it." Jisoo straightened as he saw Seokjin's eyes fluttering, signaling his slow journey towards unconsciousness. "I'll make this quick, then. You've made quite a profit off of this restaurant and this has caught the attention of my family. Seeing as how you're making so much money, we see no reason why you shouldn't share with us. It's not like your father didn't." At this, Seokjin made to charge Jisoo again. How dare he accuse his father of giving money to these sick bastards?! Seokjin's efforts failed as a foot hurled its way to his sternum and would have sent him flying back if it weren't for the men who were holding him. The kick was so hard, Seokjin felt like all the air in his lungs was expelled. It took him a few moments of violent wheezing and bloody coughs to rid his vision of the black spots that were threatening to take over.

Jisoo waited until Seokjin quieted down before continuing, "You're feisty, I like that. But you should stop fighting something that you cannot beat. Agma is too big, too powerful for a young guy like you to take down," the irony that this young man was patronizing Seokjin was not lost, "I hope that you will open your eyes and see the bigger picture here."

"And w-what's that?" Seokjin wheezed.

"You will never overcome this. You can never overthrow _my_ empire, so it's best you pay your dues. We will always be around every corner you turn, every alley you hide in, you cannot escape us."

Seokjin didn't want to listen to anything else Jisoo had to say. He gathered all the spit from his mouth that he could, though it was mostly blood that had risen from his bruised lungs, and hawked it at Jisoo's feet. Jisoo laughed bitterly before ticking disapprovingly.

"I see you still don't know what respect is. Don't worry, I'll give you a fucking lesson," And with that, Jisoo gloved his hands before punching and kicking Seokjin with a ferocity that contrasted with his previous bored attitude.

It took several monstrous punches to Seokjin's skull to ultimately knock Seokjin unconscious, and that was all he remembered from that night.

 

 

 

 

Seokjin shook his head to rid himself of the memory that plagued his existence even now. Though it had been a little over half a year ago, the anger that arose with Seokjin was as if it had just happened yesterday. Seokjin sighed heavily as he ran his fingers through his hair trying to calm himself down. A dull ache throbbed in his rib cage, which happened every time he breathed deeply, a constant reminder of that and subsequent nights like that.

He wanted to destroy Agma, destroy Kim Jisoo. He wanted to make Jisoo feel double the amount of pain he caused him. Seokjin's life was a living hell for five months, he was defeated, broken, and soulless. He had nothing to live for, he didn't even want to live anymore. He tried several times instigate those gangsters into killing him and, when that didn't work, he resorting to trying to end his own life. He tried anything from pills to the slow and painful process of starvation, but nothing worked. He suffered episodes of intense depression and stressed panic attacks. He hid for weeks thinking that it would all end if he couldn't be found, but the gangsters made true of their promise that they couldn't be escaped when they took his mother as collateral for him not paying his monthly dues. Seokjin had no choice but to beg for mercy and forgiveness to release his mother. He had to pay double the usual amount that time.

Seokjin's hand moved from his scalp to his temple as he recounted that one incident three months back when he contemplated murder for the first time. It was after he had gotten his mother back. She begged him to just comply with their commands like his father had.

"They won't cause any trouble if you just pay them," she wept. Seokjin took her advice wordlessly. He stayed quiet as he paid them his hard earned money, for he was just done with fighting. He was tired, always sick, always bruised from their impromptu beatings. He had just given up.

He had saved up half of the required amount and stashed it in the safe in his office. Only he, his mother, and Namjoon knew the code to the safe because those were the only people he trusted with his money in cases of emergency. The restaurant was not gaining as much profit as it used to in the beginning because the atmosphere was just so suffocating. Seokjin knew this and tried his hardest to put on a carefree smile to attract his old customers back, but it didn't help. He wasn't as good at pretending back then. He had barely made enough that month, he even had to take money out of his emergency fund to make up the difference.

The men had come after the restaurant had closed to collect the money, so Seokjin went to retrieve the money he had left in his safe only to find that it was gone. All of it. The collectors didn't hesitate to beat Seokjin nearly to death despite his pleading. They gave him exactly one week to come up with the money or else it would be worse.

Seokjin was in panic trying to find where the money could have disappeared to. He ransacked the entire restaurant and even his measly apartment to no avail. Where could the money have gone? Who could have taken it?

He barreled into his family's home demanding they give him the money back. "Do you want us all to die?!" He screamed. They tried their best to convince Seokjin that they did not know where they money was, yet he trashed the home in his search for the bills anyway. He couldn't find the money and that left only one person who could have taken it; Kim Namjoon.

Namjoon had disappeared and it took a week for Seokjin to finally get into contact with him. During that time, Seokjin didn't sleep for fear of being caught off guard and beat by the goons. When Seokjin entered he froze at the sight before him. The restaurant was filled with new shiny tables, plush cushions of only the most vibrant colors. The light fixtures were more extravagant and the walls were freshly painted.

"I figured a little renovation could give the place the little boost it  needed to get it back on track," Namjoon gleamed as he saw the shocked expression on Seokjin's face. He couldn't be more proud of himself.

"W-where did you get the money for this?" Seokjin asked through gritted teeth. Namjoon scratched the back of his neck thrown off by Seokjin's less than appreciative tone.

"W-well, the safe. Where else? I'm broke as hell," Namjoon tried to joke to lighten the mood but Seokjin's cold look shut him right up.

"Who gave you permission to go into _my_ safe and take _my_ money to spend it on useless shit like this?" Seokjin seethed which made Namjoon instinctually take a few steps back.

"U-useless? I didn't think renovating the restaurant would be useless..."

"What's the point of having a pretty restaurant when it's not even mine anymore, huh?!" Seokjin lost all composure then and charged towards Namjoon. He grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Though Namjoon was taller than Seokjin, Seokjin was much stronger and the pressure on Namjoon's larynx made him gasp for oxygen.

"N-not yours?," Namjoon wheezed, "Seokjin, what is going on?" Before Seokjin could answer, the door of the restaurant slammed open and the thunderous clap of gunshots made the two men's ears ring. Both men dropped to their knees and covered their heads with their hands trying to avoid any ricocheting bullets.

"Well, well, well. I finally found you, Jin-ie," A familiar deep voice sounded from afar. Seokjin's  blood ran cold. "Such a lovely bow you guys are showing me but, " he prodded Seokjin with the tip of his shiny and designer black oxfords, "I'm gonna need you to look me in the eyes and explain why I haven't been paid yet."

Seokjin hesitated for a moment before slowly rising to his feet, Namjoon mirroring his actions but  more slowly due to his disorientation. Seokjin had to force himself to look this man in the eyes and he wasn't surprised to see Kim Jisoo before him with his usual bored expression plastered on his face. Namjoon looked between the two men, completely out of place in this environment.

"So, you gonna talk or what?" Jisoo said as he picked at his blunt nails, as if this situation wasn't worth his attention.

"I don't have the money" Seokjin answered pathetically.

"No, _I_ don't have the money, which is why I am here. Where's my money, Jin-ie?" Jisoo spat Seokjin's name out like it left a bad taste in his mouth which made Seokjin flinch back.

"T-the money? From the safe?" Namjoon interjected cautiously. He visibly shrank when both men's eyes flew to him. Jisoo's eyes brightened with amusement, while Seokjin's eyes darkened with mortification and fear. Namjoon really wished he hadn't had spoken. He wished he had minded his own business and left the money alone.

"And who is this?" Jisoo questioned with a pleasant smile on his face that still had an underlying sinister tone.

Before Namjoon could give an answer, Seokjin quickly interrupts, "No one!" Jisoo became even more intrigued by Seokjin's response. Seokjin wanted to keep the attention on himself so he continued, "Look, I don't have the money but I promise I'll get it as soon as possible. I just need some time. Please. Give me some time," he pleaded.

 "Your friend mentioned a safe?" Jisoo probed as he easily ignored Seokjin's begging. Namjoon looked at Jisoo and wondered whether he should come clean about where the money actually went.

"Yes, I hold the money there but--" Seokjin tried but was interrupted.

"Was I asking you?" Jisoo challenged. Seokjin opened his mouth several times as if he was trying to say something but decided against it. Namjoon blinked as he tried to think of a proper response. He seemed to think for too long because, before he could even comprehend what was going on, Jisoo slammed him against the wall with one large hand around his throat. "Where's my fucking money?!" Jisoo demanded.

"I-I took it!" Namjoon confessed. Technically he wasn't lying. He  _did_ take the money but he used it to improve the restaurant, though he was sure this man strangling him did not care about this particular detail.

" _You?"_ Jisoo growled. "And who the fuck are you?"

"I'm j-just a friend!" Namjoon complied.

"Well 'friend' you made a big mistake by taking what was mine. So I'll just take something of yours, if you don't mind," Jisoo said as he released Namjoon's neck, allowing the man to breathe. Namjoon was confused by the sudden mercy offered to him until Jisoo grabbed Seokjin by his hair and dragged him towards the door. Seokjin screamed in protest, grabbing at Jisoo's hand trying to get him to ease the pressure from his scalp but to no avail. Namjoon made to run after the pair but the gangsters who were guarding the door immediately pointed their guns at Namjoon's face, effectively halting him.

Jisoo tossed Seokjin into one of many cars waiting in the front which Namjoon assumed is how all these men traveled around this town. Before Jisoo entered the car he turned back to Namjoon.

"I'll just keep him as collateral while you get my money, $1,500 to be exact" and he entered the car that Seokjin was thrown into and they disappeared. The armed men waited until Jisoo's car was around the corner before they wordlessly exited, leaving Namjoon stunned in silence.

They took Seokjin to a warehouse where he was to wait for Namjoon to get the money needed to release him. Seokjin didn't know how long it took Namjoon to collect the money because the pain and torture he was subjected to seemed to last decades. Starvation, beatings, anything that would entertain the gangsters who held him. He didn't lay eyes on Jisoo once while he was held hostage in the abandoned warehouse, but he knew he was there watching. There but not at the same time. 

He remembered the day he was finally released. He hadn't eaten for days and he lay on his back in the middle of the warehouse blinking up at the mediocre lightbulb that barely illuminated Seokjin who lay directly under it. The entrance of the warehouse flew open and Seokjin stiffened, for the only times that the shutter opened was to let in some goons who needed to release some pent up frustration. Seokjin waited with bated breath as the man, who was surprisingly alone, walked slowly towards the pile of bones Seokjin called his body. But it wasn't a raged middle-aged man who walked into the weak light of the light, it was Jisoo.

"Wake up, princess. Your prince finally gave me what I needed. You're free to go." Jisoo voiced with a bright smile. His smiled faded slightly as Seokjin did nothing more but continue to blink at the light. Seokjin heard Jisoo sigh through his nose before he felt an agonizing punt sent to his rib cage that was never able to properly heal from the beatings. The pain seemed to surge from his rib cage up to his temples and down to his toes. The agony so great that Seokjin felt nauseous, so nauseous, in fact, that he felt the overwhelming urge to vomit even though his stomach was empty. Despite this fact, his stomach clenched and he dry heaved relentlessly as he curled onto his side heaving out nothing but blood and spittle.

Seokjin doesn't remember anything after that, most likely because he passed out. When he woke up, he was still in the warehouse but the shutter was up, which it never was, indicating that Jisoo was serious about Seokjin being free.

_Am I really free though?_ Seokjin asked himself as he eyes the world outside that he was closed off from for he doesn't know how long. Seokjin doesn't know what compelled him to crawl out of the warehouse, his pride, perhaps. He was done enduring this suffering just because a narcissistic kid felt that he was owed something for, what, existing? Like his presence was a gift to humanity?! Seokjin scoffed at his thoughts, finally getting to his feet.

_I will kill this boy. I will make him wish he was never born, he and his family will regret ever thinking that they could ever own me._ Seokjin's thoughts for revenge fueled his rage and made his feet move faster towards their destination. Seokjin didn't have a plan but he did have all the time in the world to ruin Kim Jisoo.

Seokjin found that he headed straight to his, yes his, restaurant only to find Namjoon pacing back and forth in front of the entrance. When Namjoon caught sight of Seokjin's desperate condition, he ran to him.

"Seokjin! A-are you okay?" Namjoon prodded. He let out a surprised gasp as Seokjin, body exhausted from having to carry himself so far, fell into his arms.

"Just get me inside." Namjoon immediately complied as he hefted Seokjin into the restaurant, guiding him into the kitchen where he could clean his friend up. Both men were silent as Namjoon used a towel to gently wipe the dried blood and dirt that had caked on Seokjin's face. Seokjin didn't even flinch when Namjoon ran the towel over a gash on his cheek that looked fairly new, evidence of the severe pain that had raised the poor man's pain tolerance significantly. It was so quiet and Namjoon was so immersed in his work that he flinched back when Seokjin suddenly spoke.

"Where did you get the money?" Namjoon hesitated and wondered whether he should tell Seokjin the whole truth or only half. But seeing the state of his friend made Namjoon feel that the whole truth, no matter how shameful, was the least he could do.

"My father," Seokjin's eyes were open but they weren't looking at anything, instead glazed over as if he were living inside his head. But at Namjoon's response, his eyes flicked towards the man with a fire behind them.

"Did he just...give it to you?" Namjoon felt perturbed by his friend's sudden liveliness.

"No, of course not. The man didn't even register my existence after I told him I wouldn't follow in his footsteps with his whole...thing," Namjoon deadpanned. He was still wiping at Seokjin face with the towel before Seokjin shot his hand up to grip Namjoon's wrist in a lock painful enough to make Namjoon's elbow to throb in pain.

"By 'thing' you mean his business, right?" Namjoon just nodded.

"Does that mean you--" 

"Yes," Namjoon interrupted, "I'm working for my father now. That was the only way I could get that much money in such a short time." Namjoon tried to tug his wrist out of Seokjin's grip to no avail.

"You're going to take over his business," Seokjin stated. It was not a question at all, but rather a statement, a command.

"W-what?! No! I want nothing to do with that shit, Seokjin, I--"

"What's the problem?" Seokjin interrupted Namjoon's complaints with his blank face and even blanker tone.

"Drugs?! That shit's dangerous added to the fact that I have absolutely no fucking clue how to run a gang--"

"You'll learn," Seokjin, once again, interrupted.

"B-but, why?" Namjoon asked more subdued. He was genuinely confused as to why his friend would want him to take part in something to illegal and dangerous.

"Revenge," Seokjin answered simply as he got up to exit the kitchen.

"Revenge? On those guys? Isn't there a better way to seek revenge than waging a gang war?!" Namjoon questioned incredulously. Seokjin just continued to walk away, his back turned towards Namjoon.

"No, I don't believe so,"

"W-what if I--" Seokjin whipped around at this breaking his blank facade to reveal a rage so insidious that Namjoon felt the urge to run.

"What if you what? Steal more money? Do you think you have any choice in this matter? I'm like this because of you, you owe me!" Namjoon was stunned silent. "You will become the head of your father's gang, you will be their boss. But I will be your boss, do you understand?" Seokjin added more quietly. Namjoon nodded obediently as he felt his eyes well with tears. Seemingly satisfied, Seokjin turned back around to leave. He had just put his hand against the door to push it open when Namjoon whispered.

"Will you ever forgive me?"

Seokjin didn't answer and Namjoon didn't see if he had made some sort of instinctual bodily reaction because the tears blurred his vision. All Namjoon heard before he crumbled to the floor in a weeping mess was the sound of the kitchen door banging closed.

 

 

 

"We've arrived, Sir"

Seokjin blinked, the chauffeur's voice bringing him back to reality. Seokjin turned to look out of the window to see the warehouse where the meeting that he had set up was located in. Seokjin cleared his throat as he nodded and waited for the chauffeur to walk around the car to open the door for him. 

Seokjin stepped out and straightened out the wrinkles in his suit before heading towards the warehouse. He finds when he's left to his thoughts that he always goes back to the same few memories that never fail to ignite the fire of rage permanently set into his soul. His plan to extinguish Agma was a slow and methodical process, but it was the only reason why Seokjin woke up in the mornings now. Seokjin walked up to the warehouse entrance guarded by two men clad in black suits and sunglasses who lifted the shutter to grant Seokjin entrance. He scoffed at their appearance but continued on. This meeting was just a formality that he really wished he didn't have had to attend but if it led him closer to getting his revenge, Seokjin would attend a thousand of them without complaint.

He walked into the center of the warehouse where three men, all boring and drab, waited.

"Afternoon, gentleman. Shall we begin?" Seokjin gave his best business voice but his mind was nowhere near interested in the ramblings of the three men.

He was focused on one thing and one thing only: Agma's destruction.

 

_I'll get my revenge soon,_ he planned, _all in due time._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay!   
> This is a long one so I hope you enjoy.  
> Aren't you guys excited for BTS's comeback?! I'm so giddy that it's ridiculous. But by the time you guys read this chapter YNWA would have been released so this is kind of late, but whatever!  
> This update was darker, sexier, and more revealing than I was planning but it's for the best. I want to move on to the main plot sooner rather than later, anyways.
> 
> Leave comments and Kudos if you like, it really helps me know if I'm writing well!
> 
> P.S. If you guys love funny BTS posts (honestly who doesn't??) follow my Tumblr ao3abx!! Shameless advertising but my account is pretty funny, just saying.   
> I'd be more than happy to write any one-shot (or series) suggestions that you have on there, and here of course. And pleaseee chat with me! I love talking with fellow ARMYs!
> 
> Hearts,  
> abx


	4. Ecstasy

It was 8:45 PM when Seokjin slumped down on the stool at the bar. The club wasn't open yet, the only people here were the workers prepping for the night and the men who worked under Seokjin, well technically Namjoon, dressed, as always, in their suits and ties. He hated going to those boring meetings that were located on the outskirts of town, it drained him of his energy every time. He laid his forearms on the bar counter and dropped his head back fighting away the fatigue in his body. It's been a little over six months since he has gotten a full night's sleep and this lack of said sleep made his bones feel weak, his limbs seem heavy, and his brain too fogged to function. He blinked his eyes open when he heard a scraping against the bar counter. He brought his head back up to look at the counter and saw a shot glass in front of him filled to the brim with a reddish-brown liquid.

"Red ginseng with a splash of soju. Just how you like it," came a voice directly in front of Seokjin. He looked up to see messy curly hair and bright white teeth smiling at him.

"You know me well, Mark" Seokjin smiled as he took the drink and downed it in one shot. "Aren't you supposed to be in the back by now?" Seokjin was referring to the other section of Erotica where only people who were invited could enter.

"Yeah, but Lisa asked me to hold down the fort while she helped Jisoo get ready," Mark replied as he absentmindedly wiped at the counter top. He didn't notice when Seokjin's knuckles visibly whitened as he tightened his fingers around the small shot glass. He knew it was silly to get be so reactive over a simple name but, after all he's been through, just hearing that name brought up all his hateful, vengeful, outraged energies to the surface.

_Off all the people to hire, Namjoon chose the girl who has the exact same name as HIM,_ Seokjin cursed in his head. He didn't reply to Mark as he was too deep in his thoughts to pretend to be normal.

Seokjin didn't know how long he'd been lost in his thoughts before Mark spoke again, but not to him.

"You look breathtaking as always. What can I get for you, Madam?" He said to someone behind Seokjin. He couldn't see who Mark was speaking to yet he knew exactly who it was. The smell of warm sugar and vanilla filled his sense, sending a wave of soothing relaxation to overtake his body. He anticipated their voice and, when it came, he released a sigh through his nose as all the pessimistic violent thoughts left him.

"A small glass of water with two cubes of ice shall be all," came the sweet voice. Seokjin straightened when the voice behind him was closer than expected. A small hand gripped his right shoulder as a whisper in his left ear cooed sweetly with a hint of seduction, "Jin-ie."

Seokjin smiled at the nickname that no one else used for him because they were too scared to, except Jungkook, of course. He reached his hand up to caress the hand on his shoulder but the hand was gone just as quickly as it came. He missed the caress a little too much so he whirled around on his stool. Mark was right when he said the sight was breathtaking for Seokjin unconsciously held his breath at the view. He finally released his breath and spoke at the same time, making it sound like he was immensely relieved at something.

"Taeyeon-ie," Seokjin breathed. He spoke the nickname softly as, when she worked, no one called her by her real name. Everyone just called her Madame. It wasn't only because she was older that she was so highly respected, it was because she commanded it. She was here ever since Namjoon took over in his father's place and, though they purged most his father's men and women to replace them with people loyal only to Namjoon, they kept Taeyeon. She acted as sort of a caretaker for the men and women in the club, becoming someone to be needed as a source of advice and comfort.

Taeyeon stood in front of Seokjin and she must have taken a step back after removing her hand from his shoulder because she was about two large steps away from him now. It didn't bother Seokjin much because the distance allowed him to see Taeyeon in all her glory. Her silky black hair flowed down to her chest, slightly curled on the ends. She was wearing her light pink silk robe that she always wore with the front open only slightly to tease onlookers with a hint of her pale chest. The robe was tied at her waist accentuating her hourglass figure with his small waist but slightly curvy hips. The robe covered her entire frame, down to her ankles, where she wore open toe sandal pumps. Those were pink as well but they contrasted with her toenails that were painted black. Seokjin brought his eyes back up to see that her fingernails indeed matched her toenails. He looked at her face to see that her makeup was light with slightly peachy undertones.

_Just like her,_ Seokjin mused to himself,  _to be both sweet and dangerous at the same time._

"You look dead," Taeyeon said, rousing Seokjin out of his thoughts. It was so easy for him to get lost in his own world these days. Seokjin blinked and looked at Taeyeon to see that she had an amused, yet knowing, smile on her face. Her teeth were so white and perfect. Everything about her was perfect.

"Oh, you haven't heard the news?" Seokjin didn't know whether it was the red ginseng concoction that Mark made him or Taeyeon's presence that gave him energy, but he felt like joking around all of a sudden. "About," Seokjin moved his wrist towards his face to pretend to look at his Rolex watch, "twenty minutes ago, I died. Natural causes."

The joke was bad, if someone said it to Seokjin he would have slapped them for making such a poor joke, but, for some odd reason, Taeyeon laughed. Well she giggled. But it was so sweet, so musical that it made Seokjin feel quite proud of himself for bringing out such a reaction. He smiled and looked around the room to see most of the men looking on at Taeyeon in wonder. How could a creature so gentle and bright willingly associate herself with such violent and dark workings? Anyone, if she asked them, would give away all their money, all their glory just to be with her. And she knew this, she was kind but she wasn't stupid.

"Natural causes?" Mark continued the joke while walking around the counter to hand Taeyeon her water with a napkin circling the glass as to protect her fair hands from the cold water, "Nothing about you is natural why would death, Kim Seokjin's nonetheless, be any different?" This caused Taeyeon to do more than giggle, she laughed. Seokjin didn't know whether to be happy or offended. Seokjin opened his mouth to respond before he got interrupted.

"Death? Kim Seokjin? Is he finally gone because I could use the extra sleep,” came a drawl so familiar that Seokjin didn't have to look to see who it was.

"Min Yoongi you don't sleep," Seokjin said. He felt more at ease now even if he was the victim of their jokes. He missed this playful banter.

"Because of you," Yoongi sighed as he finally came into view and sat at the bar stool next to Seokjin. He bowed a greeting to Taeyeon and she nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"What do I do?" Seokjin's eyes got wide as he stared at his friend incredulously.

"You set these useless meetings at these god-awful hours, knowing everyone is exhausted--"

Seokjin interrupted, "Yah! It's 9:00 PM, how in the world is this considered late?! I set these meetings early just for you because I know you're tired. I see you can barely keep your eyes open after your day shifts. I warned you that working in the morning isn't worth it but you insist because, why? Because "you're less sketchy that way?" Do you know how silly you sound? I bought you a case of red ginseng, you don't even drink it yet you complain that you're always tired. Do you even eat?"

Seokjin didn't notice the looks that he was getting from everyone inside the quiet club because he was too busy ranting at Yoongi. He did this so often that people tuned him out quite well, especially Yoongi who ordered a shot of watermelon soju to rouse his taste buds, and even downed it in one shot, gesturing for another. Mark was pouring Yoongi another shot laughing silently as Seokjin reprimanded Yoongi. There was a reason why they called him the mother.

"Look how skinny you are, I don't even know how you walk around let alone pick up that shot glass. I bet if I hit you hard enough your bones would turn to dust--" Seokjin was startled quiet when a loud slapping sound filled the room.

"Ah shit!" Yoongi lifted his forearm to see a red mark in the shape of a large hand starting to show.

"Nope, no bone dust here," Namjoon said as he leaned on the counter of the bar instead of sitting on a stool. He didn't bow to Taeyeon, rather he just smiled and nodded his head slightly. She smiled back stepping just once closer to him.

"What the hell?" Yoongi complained as he blew at the red mark that stung him.

"I was testing a hypothesis," Namjoon declared calmly. Seokjin couldn't help but laugh.

"How the hell could that be a hypothesis? Obviously, I wouldn't just crumble into a pile of dust if I got hit!" Yoongi fretted almost childishly.

"Maybe you didn't hit him hard enough, Joon-ie," this time it was Taeyeon who joined in. She had barely finished her sentence before Namjoon smacked Yoongi again, this time higher up on his arm. The smack was louder than the first and Yoongi swallowed deeply before sighing through his nose slowly.

"Nah... still no bone dust," Namjoon pretended to be disappointed.

"Well, if it's bone dust you want--" Yoongi got up from his stool and the height difference between Namjoon and Yoongi was too comical not to laugh. This didn't stop Seokjin from standing in between the men however because, no matter how small Yoongi was, he was just as deadly.

"Alright, alright. We're all here so we might as well start the meeting early then, yeah?" Namjoon smiled and Yoongi rolled his eyes, but both men relented. Seokjin smiled as the two men walked ahead of them so he took the moment to bid farewell to the Madam, "Taeyeon-shi, is there anything you need before we close the door?"

"Hmm," Taeyeon pouted her lips as she thought. Seokjin couldn't help but focus on her glossed pinky lips. "Kim Jisoo isn't feeling well," at that name Seokjin brought his eyes back to Taeyeon's, "she might just have to go back home."

Seokjin didn't respond. He was staring at, or rather through, Taeyeon as she waited for him to speak. He blinked when she shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably at his gaze.

"Uh yeah, send her home," Seokjin cleared his throat before nodding and rushing across the club to the door that Yoongi and Namjoon disappeared through.

Taeyeon watched him leave taken aback by his reaction. She sipped at her water before going to the room where the girls got ready to check on Jisoo.

 

 

"Based solely on numbers, Bangtan's been getting richer," Namjoon said in his usual calm demeanor. After some lighthearted jokes, the meeting finally started. The men were seated in the back room around a rectangular table that could easily fit four men on each side, two on the shorter sides, but only Namjoon, Yoongi, and a few men who ran the most profitable zones of the part of town controlled by Namjoon.  Seokjin never sat at the table, he said because the light that was placed directly above the table gave him headaches, so he always sat silently in the corner of the room. No one knew he was there except for Yoongi and Namjoon.

"And besides the numbers?" Yoongi said as he exhaled some smoke from the cigarette he was smoking. 

"There's been turf wars recently, a handful of our men have been killed in the past month," Namjoon replied.

"And? This isn't news,"

"No, but it's the location of the conflicts.  Most of them have been while we've been transferring product. Those locations are random and secret, how would anyone besides the men running the trades know where to go?"

"Damn, you're right. Did they steal any products?"

"Not a single gram," Namjoon threw the papers that he'd been eyeing onto the wooden table and ran his hands through his hair.

"Then were these lucky hits? Like they didn't know what they were running into?"

"This is too convenient to be luck. They hit every important drop we had this month, but they didn't steal anything. It wasn't money they wanted..."

"No, they wanted our attention." Yoongi finished. The men stared silently at the papers in front of them on the table.

"And who's stupid enough to want the attention of Bangtan?" One of the zone leaders asked.

"Obviously, someone stupid," another zone leader, who watched the western part of town, answered.

"Or someone who's powerful enough to not be intimidated by us," Namjoon thought out loud.

"Do you really think--" Yoongi began before he was cut off by Namjoon.

"Who else could it be?" It was more of a rhetorical question because all the men in the room knew who was behind this.

"What does Kim Jisoo want with us now?" Yoongi asked to no one in particular as he squeezed the bridge of his nose trying to calm his nerves.

"Who knows. Spoiled brat doesn't get attention he has to push people's buttons until they give it to him," Namjoon offered as he settled against the chair he was sitting on. 

"That simple, huh?" Yoongi could have laughed.

"Maybe, maybe not," Namjoon replied dejectedly.

"What do you want us to do, boss?" One of the zone leaders questioned. Namjoon sighed as he stroked tenderly at his scalp.

"Stay low for now, there's nothing much we can do at this point without starting an all-out gang war,"

"Mhm," Yoongi agreed, "that's exactly what Jisoo wants. We can't give him any reason to use his daddy's guns and men to go ape shit on us." The men nodded in silent understanding. "Okay," Yoongi changed the subject, "was that all on the agenda?"

"Uhh," Namjoon waited for a second, as if waiting for something, before replying, "No, I guess that's it. Gentlemen, you can continue on with your fab lives." Yoongi rolled his eyes but laughed as he watched Namjoon rise from his chair. He and the men followed suit but he stayed behind as the zone leaders exited through the door back into the now lively and full club.

"Have you heard anything from Tae after we left him at Hoseok's?" Yoongi asked the dark corner where his friend was seated.

"Nah, I was planning on going over there tonight to check on them, actually," Seokjin spoke, the first words out of his mouth after he entered the room.

"Hmm," Yoongi said a little disinterestedly, "hey, can I get the key to your restaurant?"

"Why?" Seokjin dragged the word out slowly as he tried to decode what his friend was up to.

"I left my board there last night,"

"Ahh," Seokjin said, "no,"

"What? Why?" Yoongi whined.

"One, you should walk more, it's good for you. And two, I don't trust that you won't lose my key," Seokjin listed seriously.

"He has a point," Namjoon interjected, "remember that time you clogged your toilet when you dropped your phone in it and it got stuck?"

"That was one time!"

"One time too many," Namjoon laughed.

"What does this have to do with me borrowing your restaurant key?" Yoongi asked Seokjin.

"Yoongi, I don't want my keys in the toilet," Seokjin said as he tried to hold a straight face. He couldn't contain it when Yoongi sighed exasperated and rubbed at his temples.

"Okay," Yoongi said as he snapped his fingers, "we are business men. What about a business transaction?"

"I'm listening," Seokjin said after some thought.

"If you let me borrow the keys to your restaurant, I'll go check on the others," Yoongi held his breath as he waited for Seokjin to speak. Seokjin pursed his lips as he thought and he tapped his index finger on his bottom lip making it seem like he was thinking hard on the proposition.

"Okay, fine," Seokjin shrugged as he dug into his pocket. Yoongi clapped his hands and whooped, feeling extremely accomplished. Seokjin outstretched his hand with the key in it towards Yoongi. Yoongi reached for it in anticipation, only to grasp air, as Seokjin pulled the key back. "Check up on ALL of them, Min Yoongi. And try and convince them to never come back here again," he affirmed.

"Yeah, yeah," Yoongi conceded as he held it hand out for the keys. He closed his hands tight around them when Seokjin dropped them in his hands and he didn't wait another second as he bid farewell to the two men and strolled out of the room.

"That's the happiest I've seen him in a while," Seokjin laughed as he watched his friend slam the door behind him.

"It's because he's not gonna have to use his legs like a normal person again," Namjoon joked. Seokjin smiled at this but said nothing. A heavy silence filled the room, neither men wanting to break it. Seokjin because he didn't feel the need to and Namjoon because he was too scared to. Eventually, Namjoon cleared his throat to speak.

"Kim Jisoo--"

"What about him?" Seokjin interrupted.

"Well, are we...are you...?"

"Am I what? Prepared?" Seokjin scoffed. "I've been waiting for the day that he fell into my trap. I'm nothing but ready."

"Still, we should be careful," Namjoon spoke softly.

"We?" Seokjin finally turned to look at Namjoon, who cowered under his gaze, "All you have to do is do what I tell you to do and we should be fine." Seokjin rose to his feet when Namjoon did not respond. "Right?"

Namjoon dropped his stare to look at his shoes as he willed his heart rate to slow down, "R-right. Yeah--Yes."

Seemingly satisfied, Seokjin left the room, leaving Namjoon alone. He breathed a sigh of relief before sinking back into his chair and resting his aching head in his hands.

He knew that Seokjin was waiting for the perfect moment to exact his revenge on Kim Jisoo. He just hoped that it wouldn't endanger the lives of his friends.

 

 

 

 

Hoseok didn't know he had fallen asleep until he was startled awake by loud incessant banging. He was so drowsy that the banging sounded as if it was coming from all directions. A groan from above him finally awakened as he realized he wasn't alone. He blinked his eyes open and moved his neck up to see who groaned. It was only when he shifted that he realized he was laying on something hard and not at all comfortable. He looked down to see nothing but white and he smelled something familiar...honey? He recognized it as his mother's shampoo and he froze in contemplation but banging quickly bought him back to his sense. He grumbled in tired frustration before rolling his body to leave his bed only to fall hard on his side on the floor.

"YOOOOO!" Came a muffled voice. Hoseok groaned dramatically as he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Where had he fallen from? Hoseok sighed as he turned to see that he had fallen from the couch in the living room. Why did he sleep on the couch? The banging got louder and finally roused whoever served as Hoseok's pillow on the couch. A whiny groan sounded above Hoseok as a tan hand flew over the side of the couch. Hoseok sat up and bent his legs to rest his elbows at his knees and looked at the boy on the couch trying to stay asleep. 

_Ahh, so it was Tae, then._ Hoseok wondered how in the hell both he and Taehyung fit on the tiny couch as he stared at the boy's face. He smiled slightly at Taehyung's furrowed eyebrows and pouted lips as he tried to will himself back to unconsciousness.

"Fuck it, I'm coming in," the voice behind the door said before opening the door and stepping into the house. Taehyung's eyes flew open as did Hoseok's and they looked at each other with a mix of confusion, frustration, and rage.

"Sup, guys," Jungkook said with his easy and arrogant smile. Hoseok's and Taehyung's eyes flew to him and his smile faded a bit, "...What?"

"You knew the door was open?!" Taehyung screeched, his tired voice cracking. Hoseok giggled at the memories of Taehyung's pubescent phase.

"Duh, it's always open," Jungkook answered as he strolled to the couch and pushed Taehyung's legs off to make space to sit. "Ahh!" Jungkook cried as Taehyung incessantly kicked at Jungkook's arms and legs.

"Why knock like you're the fucking police, then?" Taehyung grunted out with each word punctuated by a flying foot aimed at any spot on Jungkook's body not blocked by his hands.

"It was--Ahh! A c-courtesy! Shit, fuck, stop! Tae!" Jungkook tried to grab Taehyung's kicking leg only to be assaulted by the other. He ended up a heap on the floor in front of Hoseok who looked down on him with no mercy on his face. "Why didn't you help me?" Jungkook pleaded.

"You think he's the only one pissed off, right now? If I had more energy I would be stomping you, too." Hoseok deadpanned.

"Ugh," Jungkook breathed as he rubbed at his sore ribs, "you should have just opened the door when I knocked the first time."

"What do you want?" Hoseok asked, ignoring Jungkook's pained whimpers.

"What?" Jungkook grumbled.

"You tried to knock down the fucking door, obviously, whatever you wanted was important," Hoseok explained.

"I just...wanted to hang out," Jungkook answered meekly. He squeaked in agony when Hoseok grabbed a hefty amount of flesh from his forearm and pinched him. "Aah, ahh! Please, ah shit, okay I'm sorry!" Jungkook pleaded. He sobbed in relief when Hoseok released his skin and quickly rolled away from both boys to avoid any more kicks and pinches.

Hoseok snickered as he watched Jungkook rub tenderly at the red mark on his forearm and all three boys sat in silence for a minute, Hoseok watching Jungkook and Taehyung laying on his back with his arm covering his eyes. 

After a few minutes of silence Jungkook gathered the confidence to speak again, "So what's the plans for tonight?"

Taehyung shot up from his laying position, "Yah! You're still here?" he hollered. Jungkook whimpered at the unexpected hostile response and shot his arms up in front of his body defensively.

"What? I can't be here? This ain't even your house!" Jungkook shot back.

"Hoseok doesn't want you here either," Taehyung responded, his voice rising in pitch slightly. Hoseok laughed at how childish the two boys were and when both boys' eyes turned to him he shut up quickly.

"W-what?" Hoseok asked genuinely confused.

"Tell him," Taehyung said with wide eyes.

"Tell him what?"

"That you don't want him here," Taehyung said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't...I mean...it's-"

"You don't? See, now leave," Taehyung commanded Jungkook.

"You don't want me here, big bro?" Jungkook said, puppy dog eyes on full display. Hoseok wasn't sure if he heard right but he thought he heard a slight quiver in Jungkook's tone. Hoseok's heart sank at the pitiful sight of his friend in front of him. How could he say no to that face?

Taehyung seemed to notice Hoseok's diminishing agency, "Don't do it, dude. Don't you dare."

Jungkook picked at his jeans and sighed dejectedly, "I guess I'll just leave then, shit," he sniffed. He made to get up before Hoseok spoke.

"Dude, stay it's fine. We were just joking," Hoseok implored.

"I can't believe you fell for that shit," Taehyung admonished.

"Fell for what shit?" Hoseok asked. Just as he said this, Jungkook clapped his hands and rubbed them together.

"Alright, so I was thinking we hit up that club from last night again. Huh? Huh?" Jungkook said looking at both Hoseok and Taehyung with bright eyes and a matching smile.

"That shit," Taehyung said as he plopped back down on his back and closed his eyes. Hoseok blinked at Taehyung then to Jungkook with his mouth slightly agape.  _That clever bastard,_ Hoseok thought.

"I think we all need to de-stress, you know, calibrate our chakras and all that enlightened shit," Jungkook continued pointedly ignoring Taehyung.

"At a strip club?" Hoseok questioned.

"Mhm," Jungkook affirmed simply. Hoseok scoffed and recounted the very stressful morning they had because of that very strip club. He noticed how unusually quiet Taehyung was.

"I don't think that would be helpful at all," Hoseok declared shaking his head.

"But all the  _stress_ ," Jungkook implored trying hard to convince his older friend.  _Why does he want to go back to that hellhole so badly,_ Hoseok thought.

"And?" Hoseok was just entertaining himself at this point by continuing this conversation.

"Our chakras, dude. You know 'chakras?' Those things are important," Jungkook pronounced slowly as if he didn't even know what he was talking about. Because he didn't but he couldn't accept defeat.

"Then fucking do yoga for your important ass chakras, dude. Why are you still talking? Isn't it passed your bedtime right now?" Taehyung whined with his arm still covering his eyes. Hoseok laughed out loud.

"Noo," Jungkook grumbled with furrowed eyebrows and a pursed mouth, like a spoiled child who didn't get their way, "I took a nap already." Jungkook crossed his arms in frustration when both his friends burst into raucous laughter. Their attention turned to the door that swung open without a knock or warning as Yoongi walked into the house.

"It's such a nice sight to see my children getting along," Yoongi deadpanned as he walked into the living room and sat at the edge of the couch Taehyung was laying on. Taehyung sat up to give Yoongi more room and Jungkook opened his mouth to protest before he thought against it. Yoongi's face was straight as he looked around the room and finally resting his eyes on Hoseok who face was still lit by a smile. Yoongi didn't notice he was smiling until Taehyung poked him.

"What ya thinkin' bout?" Taehyung asked in a cutesy childish way. Yoongi's face morphed into a grimace and he outwardly scoffed when Taehyung punctuated his question with a boxy grin and a flick of his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" Yoongi asked.

"You're smiling in the first time in, like, centuries," Jungkook interjected. Yoongi blinked at Jungkook as he felt his cheeks redden. He looked over to Hoseok who was very concentrated at picking the carpet under him.

"My bed," Yoongi shot back, quick as always. Taehyung and Jungkook both shook their heads at their friend's less than satisfying, but expected, response. An awkward silence overwhelmed the room and Yoongi rubbed at the back of his neck as he, again, looked around the room as if he were searching for something. An incessant poking at his knee cap brought his attention down. He looked down to see that Jungkook had scooted closer to him and he looked up at him with wide, slightly wet eyes. His knees were pulled tightly against his chest and held by his arms. Yoongi lifted one eyebrow at the boy as if silently demanding what he wanted.

"Taehyung and Hoseok won't come with me to the club," Jungkook whined.

"The club? You mean Erotica?" Yoongi asked suspiciously. He sighed through his nose when Jungkook nodded. "And why do you wanna go so bad?" 

"I need to de-stress, realign my chakras, you know?" Jungkook said in his soft whiny tone.

"Your what?" Yoongi asked dumbfounded.

"It's not important," Hoseok interjected, "can you please convince him that there are better ways to spend his nights than dry humping a half-naked chick in a dark club?" Hoseok blinked a few times as he went over exactly what he just said. "Actually, what I meant was--" he was interrupted by Jungkook.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Jungkook winked at Hoseok before turning back to Yoongi with his lower lip pouted, "Yoongi, I wanna dry hump a half-naked chick in a dark club."

"Jesus, could you please stop talking like that?" Yoongi said as he shifted to look away from Jungkook.

"Like what?" Jungkook mewled, his pitch higher than normal.

"Like you're fucking three years old!" Yoongi shot back.

"Three year olds don't think about dry humping hot women, bro," Jungkook said finally in his normal arrogant tone.

"Why do you wanna go back  _there_ is what I'm trying to figure out," Yoongi explained. 

Hoseok made a sound of agreement, "Yeah, it's not like that's the only strip club in town."

"I don't care. I want to go to Erotica," Jungkook stated firmly.

"Why? There's absolutely nothing special about that place," Yoongi tried hard not to sound to adamant on convincing Jungkook not to go back to Erotica because he didn't want to raise suspicion. "I know a joint that's much better, we should hit that one up." Yoongi inwardly screamed as Jungkook rolled his eyes at the suggestion.

"Is it because it's the only club you've ever been to?" Hoseok offered trying to read his friend.

"Nah..." Jungkook responded as he picked at his jeans absentmindedly.

"Then if it's not something is it...someone?" Hoseok continued to probe. He and Yoongi exchanged glances when Jungkook didn't respond and, after a few seconds, they burst into laughter. "Our Jungkookie's got a crush?" Jungkook shrieked when Hoseok started poking his ribs and tried to bat his hands away.

"It's not like that!" Jungkook proclaimed as he looked at all three of his friends in turn. Hoseok had a wide smile and mischievous glint in his eyes. Yoongi had a smile on lips but his eyes were dark. Taehyung was...well, he seemed quite distant. In fact, Jungkook just realized how quiet Taehyung had gotten when the subject of the club was brought up. His face was pallid and his mouth was set in a straight line, he didn't even pretend to be okay. Jungkook wondered whether Taehyung was still mulling over the events of this morning and the events last night leading up to his nearly dead state.  _What the hell did you do last night, Tae?_ Jungkook thought to himself.

Jungkook continued, "I don't need everyone to come, just one person," he stopped to gauge the reaction of his friends before continuing, "just a couple of hours?"

"No." Yoongi stated flatly. Yoongi promised Seokjin that he would make sure the boys didn't go back to the club and Yoongi was a man of his word. He expected a loud whine of protest from his youngest friend but was surprised when all the boy did was sigh dejectedly and sit back on his hands. "Well, then, now that that's settled."

"I'm hungry," Taehyung said as he shot up off the couch and towards the kitchen. The boys watched him go before Yoongi got up and stretched his tight limbs.

"I'll be off then, too." He said.

"So soon?" It was Hoseok who spoke and, when Yoongi looked down to see Hoseok looking up at him with wide curious eyes, he had to quickly look away.

"Y-yeah. I gotta give Seokjin his keys back before he loses his shit," Yoongi smiled when Hoseok laughed. "How's Jimin, is he alright?" Yoongi almost forgot about the other boy. He turned to Jungkook when Hoseok shrugged. Jungkook balked at their stares.

"W-what?" Jungkook asked.

"Jimin? You know the tiny midget that follows us around everywhere? How is he?"

"Oh, oh yeah. Yeah! He's fine...I guess," Jungkook rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly as he avoided eye contact with either male. Yoongi raised his eyebrow at Jungkook's response but, seemingly satisfied, he grunted before leaving the house without another word.

The sound of running water filled the silence of the house and the sound of the fire being ignited in the stove reminded both Jungkook and Hoseok of how hungry they were as well.

"Hey, Tae!" Hoseok called, "is there enough ramen for all three of us?" Jungkook stood up quickly before heading towards the door. "Hey, whoa!" Hoseok called as he got up as well and grabbed his friend's arm to stop him,” where are you going?"

"I need some fresh air," Jungkook said as he roughly shrugged Hoseok's hand from his arm and swung the door open. Hoseok was frozen when the door slammed in his face,  _what the actual fuck,_ he thought. 

Before he could think otherwise, he was hastily pulling on his sneakers and an oversized sweater that covered all the way down to his mid-thigh. He found some shorts hanging in the closet and pulled those on cursing when his shoe got caught in the leg hole almost making him fall flat on his face. He swung the door open and shot out of the house hoping to still see Jungkook walking. He saw Jungkook about a block down, trudging down the sidewalk quite rapidly, and he raced after him.

"Yo! Jungkookie!" Hoseok called out as he ran after his friend, "YAH JUNGKOOK!" He finally got his attention and Jungkook stopped his trek to look behind him. He waited for Hoseok to catch up patted his friend on the back as he keeled over trying to catch his breath. "How the...hell...do you walk so fast?" Hoseok wheezed. Jungkook laughed at his friend.

"Why are you following me?" Jungkook asked but not in an accusing way. He seemed quite relieved.

"You're the baby. I gotta make sure the baby stays safe, huh?" Hoseok replied as he straightened and gripped Jungkook's shoulder firmly. “Now," he continued as he wrapped his arm around Jungkook's shoulder, "tell me about this 'fresh air' that you needed so bad."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Jisoo, seriously, you can't hide in here forever," Lisa groaned out as she impatiently picked at her flaking nail polish. Usually she would always have her nails polished perfectly, but that was before she started bar tending. She laughs at herself as she thinks how silly she sounds. This is only her first night bar tending, she had taken up the position when they old bartender left and she was more than happy to give up dancing. She was supposed to be with Mark learning the basics of drink mixing but, instead, she was stuck in the powder room trying to convince her friend that her life was not, in fact, over.

"Lisa, I'm not going out there," Jisoo said as she stared at Lisa through the reflection of the mirror she was sitting in front of. The theme tonight was 'Fallen Angels' so the girls had glittery red wings strapped to their backs and red and black corsets to match.

"Wait..." another girl interjected as she put on pink lip gloss, "Why don't you want to go out tonight, again?"

"Were you not listening, Jennie?!" Jisoo exclaimed as she whirled around in her chair to face her friend who always made a point to ignore her.

"Not really, I was too busy fixing my eyebrows," Jennie said as she ran her fingers through her light brown hair.

"Chae Young wasn't listening either," Lisa quipped as she laughed at Jisoo's melodramatics. Her laugh was interrupted when a hand smacked the back of her head.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Rosé when I'm working," Rosé enunciated as she walked passed Lisa to sit in front of her mirror. Lisa scowled as she rubbed at her head in an effort to soothe the stinging.

"I won't go out there because," Jisoo continued, making a point to ignore Lisa's exasperated sigh, "my ex is out there and I will die from the awkwardness." Jisoo emphasized this by covering her face in her hands.

"It's so dark he won't even see you," Jennie replied simply as she misted her face with a makeup setting spray that gave her skin a luminous dewy glow.

"But what if he does, how am I going to explain myself?" Jisoo shot back.

"Didn't you guys meet here while you were dancing?" Lisa interjected.

"Well, yeah..."

"Then how will it be awkward?" Rosé asked, her tone expressing just how done she was with the entire conversation."

Jisoo looked in the direction of the door that led outside as if looking to see if anyone were lurking in on their conversation. The door was closed but she scooted closer to the women and whispered anyway, "It looks like he's with a girl."

"Really...?"

"That's it?"

"All this for one girl?"

Jisoo was both confused and underwhelmed by the response she got. She didn't quite know what she was expecting but she hoped for a little support at least. "What?! She's not just 'one girl,' she's THE girl! How am I gonna look if we bump into each other and I introduce myself as her boyfriend's stripper ex?" Jisoo exclaimed.

"Easy," Rosé said. Jisoo looked at her with wide curious eyes, waiting for her advice.

"You don't," all three girls chimed as they went back to doing whatever they were doing before. Jisoo sighed as she gave up on explaining herself. Just then the door opened and Taeyeon entered.

"Lisa, honey, weren't you supposed to be tending the bar?" Taeyeon asked with her flowery voice that was soft and firm at the same time.

"I was. Until Jisoo dragged me back here with her non-existent ex troubles," Lisa said as she pointedly stared at the back of Jisoo's head. Taeyeon laughed.

"Ex troubles? That would entail you having had a boyfriend, Jisoo." The room burst into laughter while Jisoo laughed mockingly.

"Jisoo says she's not working tonight," Jennie said.

"Because of your ex?" Taeyeon asked.

"Because of her ex's new girlfriend," Lisa chimed making Rosé and Jennie laugh again.

"Lisa, don't you have a bar to tend?" Jisoo remarked.

"Oh,  _now_  my bar tending is important?" Lisa shot back laughing at Jisoo's pouted face and crossed arms.

"It looks like the bigger fish are streaming in anyway," Taeyeon commented before snapping twice with her thin manicured fingers, "Showtime ladies!"

"Yes, Madame," all the girls, except Jisoo, sang as they looked at themselves in the mirror one last time before sauntering out of the powder room. Taeyeon waited for Rosé to close the door behind her before she walked to Jisoo and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You're intimidated, aren't you" she asked.

"How could I not be?" Jisoo asked. She intended it to be a rhetorical question so she was surprised by the Madame's literal response.

"By making him jealous."

"...What?"

"You make him wish he never let you go," The Madame clarified.

"But how?" Jisoo asked as she absorbed what the Madame was saying.

"Back when I used to dance, the love of my life dropped me and showed up out of the blue with a girl strapped to his arm not even a week later. He tried to make me jealous so I thought it was only fair that I do the same."

"How did you do it?"

"There was a guy in full view of him, so I grabbed the guy and gave him the lap dance of a lifetime, all the while making eye contact with my ex." Taeyeon answered with a dark glint in her bright eyes.

Jisoo was taken aback by the cunning of her Madame, "Did it work?"

"I've never received so many love letters and flowers from the same man as I did after that night," Taeyeon beamed. She laughed at Jisoo's perplexed expression and her laughter eventually softened Jisoo up enough to laugh lightly as well.

Jisoo ran her fingers through her long shiny dark hair, "So you're saying I should make him jealous?" She asked as her eyes glinted with mischief.

"That is exactly what I'm saying," the Madame replied as she patted Jisoo on the shoulder, "Now go before you miss this opportunity." 

Jisoo didn't need any more pushing as she got up and headed out of the powder room with her head high and chest out. She didn't know who it was going to be, but she knew one lucky man was going to get the lap dance of a lifetime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Namjoon loved to people watch. He found that people acted very differently when they thought no one was watching. Sometimes people did weird things, like pick their noses, or illegal things like picking people's pockets, either way Namjoon saw it all. Or at least most of it. There were just some people who were impenetrable to the most watchful of gazes, like Seokjin, for example.

Namjoon had been watching Seokjin from the other side of the room for the better part of half an hour now and, still, he couldn't figure out what the man was thinking. Namjoon sat at the bar with a full glass of soju in his hand and just sat and watched as Seokjin floated around the room, talking to no one, just milling about. He didn't seem to be in a rush yet it looked like he had something very important that he needed to get done.

Seokjin was currently making another lap around the crowded and dark space when he suddenly stopped. Namjoon sat straighter on his stool as he followed Seokjin's blank gaze towards the entrance of the club. The flashing lights made it harder to see who Seokjin was staring at, but Namjoon knew that, whoever it was, they surely were not welcome. Apparently, whoever it was, they were attracting a lot of attention because it seemed the half of the club was staring towards the entrance. This worried Namjoon so he stood but to see who it was only to freeze in place when he saw a very tall man flanked by five men in suits walk further into the club. From the way they were walking, it was obvious that each man had a holster with a gun strapped to their chest, Namjoon was sure of it.

_You're shitting me,_ Namjoon thought as he blinked hard a few times thinking his eyes must be malfunctioning. His eyes were not deceiving him, however, because what he was seeing was true.

"Kim Jisoo," Namjoon snapped out of his trance when he saw Seokjin walk across the dance floor to greet the man through gritted teeth and a barbed tone.

"Yes, do I know you?" Jisoo replied as he looked down at Seokjin. His presence alone was enough to have Seokjin seeing red, but his crude arrogance made Seokjin clench his fists and swallow any curses he was bound to spit. Namjoon noticed Seokjin's tense body so he went to stand by the men.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding," Namjoon intruded into the conversation, "I think you've entered the wrong club, Sir. So, if you'll please..." Namjoon tried to sound as inconspicuous and formal as he gestured for the men to leave the club. He bit at the inside of his cheek when Jisoo pointedly ignored him.

"Ah!" Jisoo snapped his fingers, "Kim Seokjin, right? Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Jisoo spoke as if he was talking to a college friend he hasn't seen in a while rather than the man who he held captive for weeks and tortured all for a few thousand dollars.

"You must be mistaken--" Namjoon tried to drag Jisoo's attention away from Seokjin before he was interrupted by the man.

"And you!" Jisoo pointed at Namjoon as he narrowed his eyes in thought, "Kim...Kim. Namjin?"

"It's 'Joon?'" Namjoon corrected darkly. He really hated this man.

"What?"

Namjoon held back a sigh, "My name is Kim Namjoon."

"Right, right," Jisoo said as he smiled boyishly. Jisoo looked around the club as if staring at the expanse of an art museum while deciding where to start.

Namjoon took the opportunity to look around, as well, and noticed that many people were still staring at them. He shifted his eyes around the room and caught eyes with the Madame. She stared at him for a few seconds before nodding very slightly and heading to the DJ. She whispered something in his ear and he nodded before tinkering at his station a bit. The song switched to a slower, more sensual song and the women took the cue to start dancing. Their twirling hips and inviting stares brought dragged their attention away from Jisoo and back to the women filling the club, once again, with their hoots and hollers, cheering the dancers on.

"This place is nice. You've done well," Jisoo patronized as he went to pat Seokjin on the shoulder. Seokjin quickly stepped back to avoid Jisoo's large hand.

"What do you really want?" Seokjin demanded, tone still low and threatening.

"Me?" Jisoo shrugged, "A VIP table, for now." There was that childish grin again.

Namjoon expected Seokjin to explode by then, he even propped himself on the balls of his feet in order to quickly subdue Seokjin who would surely lose his composure. He was utterly surprised when all Seokjin did was step to the side, gesturing for the men to walk ahead of him towards the stairs that led to the VIP tables on top.

Seokjin made to follow them but Namjoon grabbed his elbow to keep him in place.

"What the hell are you doing?" Namjoon growled out. After all Kim Jisoo put Seokjin through, how could Seokjin so easily accommodate this man, no, this monster?

"His men are packing. Unless you want a shootout between his men and ours, keep your shit together." Seokjin paused before adding, "We're in control of the situation right now. Not him...never again." Seokjin pulled his elbow out of Namjoon's grip, but not roughly, and walked towards the men. 

Namjoon finally released the sigh that he was holding as he dragged a hand over his face. His hand stopped at his mouth, however, when he saw two very familiar men standing at the entrance of the club.

"Okay, now, you've REALLY gotta be shitting me!"

 

 

 

 

 

"I really should've eaten before leaving the house," Hoseok groaned as he rubbed at his growling stomach. It didn't occur to him that he was hungry when he rushed to run after Jungkook. His mind was preoccupied with making sure his friend didn't do anything stupid while he was out alone at night. He was starting to regret this now. He groaned as he rubbed at his head, he always got a migraine when he stayed hungry for too long.

Jungkook noticed Hoseok cradling his head so he reached into his pocket to pull out two small blue pills. He offered one to Hoseok, "It'll help with your headache," he said.

Hoseok hesitated as he said, "But I haven't eaten anything. Isn't that bad for your stomach or something?"

Jungkook shook his head, "Nah, an empty stomach just makes the pill work faster."

Hoseok didn't need much convincing because, damn, his head hurt. He took the pill from Jungkook's hand and popped it in his mouth. He swallowed the pill dry but it wasn't that hard to do since it was so small. He noticed Jungkook did the same.

Suddenly, a terracotta vase flew out of a window from a building a block ahead of the boys and shattered on the sidewalk. Loud shouting followed that before articles of clothing started flying out of the window. 

"How could you do this to me?!" A woman shouted before more items were thrown out of the window. Hoseok and Jungkook stopped walking as they watched the scene in front of them, entranced by the drama. They boys could hear the man shouting back but he was too far from the window for it to be discernable.

However, they did hear a "No, no, NO!" before a black box flew out of the window and smashed against the concrete.

"OOHH!" The boys exclaimed.

"Not the Xbox," Jungkook crooned mournfully. He shook his head as he walked down another street, the street they usually used to go to Seokjin's restaurant. 

They had been walking in silence for a while and Hoseok didn't even realize that he didn't ask what pill it was he took, he was just too desperate for some sort of relief. "What was that anyway?" He asked.

Jungkook just patted his back as he smiled, "Don't worry about it, it'll make you feel good." Hoseok would usually have been disturbed by this answer but, and he didn't know why, he felt giddy and at ease. His head still throbbed but it wasn't as bad as before and he really just felt like dancing. Even if there was no music, his heartbeat and footsteps made perfect beats to get down to, so he did. He danced ahead of Jungkook who quickly joined in on the dancing, as well.

Hoseok was so into his dancing that he could actually start to hear the music now. Hoseok convinced himself that every step he took made the bass louder because the sidewalk wasn't just a sidewalk anymore, but the volume controls to the bass within his soul. The more he stepped, the louder it got, and he started gyrating his hips as he felt the music swirl through his veins.

He was harshly snatched by his wrist by Jungkook who dragged him into an alley that was faintly familiar to Hoseok.  _Why is he taking me into this dark alley?_ Hoseok was going to verbalize his inner bewilderment but then he heard the music. The bass was so loud, so good, he wanted to be in the middle of it. He stopped resisting Jungkook and allowed the boy to drag him to the sound that matched his heartbeat, his life force.

Jungkook stopped at the entrance and looked around.  _There's nobody out here, why did he stop?_ Hoseok pulled his wrist from Jungkook's grip and ran through the door trying to get as close to the bass as possible.

Hoseok could have sworn he's been here before but he didn't think about it for too long as he molded himself into the crowd, completely forgetting about Jungkook.

Jungkook was filtering through the crowd as if looking for someone. He didn't find who he was looking for, but he found that couch. That couch that looked like he would sink into it and float away on it as if it were a cloud. Oh, he wanted that couch. Jungkook didn't even feel his legs move as he headed towards the couch and easily found an empty spot to squeeze into. He didn't even hear the music once his buttocks made contact with the soft plush cushions and he sunk back into the couch.

He was startled by legs straddling his and he shot up.  _Did he fall asleep?_

"W-what is happening?" He looked up to see a devil on top of him. Jungkook jumped and tried to get the demon away from him but his hands were held down.

"Just sit back," the demon said, "you're getting the lap dance of a lifetime." Jungkook was confused as he stared at the red and black creature on top of him. He was going to protest but he felt the most glorious of sensations down on his crotch as the demon slowly grinded on him. He sunk back into the cushions and studied his captor.  _Were demons always this pretty...?_

 

 

Hoseok was so lost in the music. He felt the treble in his joints and the bass in his lungs and he felt that he could dance forever if it continued to feel this good.

He didn't even jump when he felt two hands encircle his narrow waist as he moved to the beat. In fact, he loved it. He would never admit this to anyone, but his waist was his sensitive spot and he loved to be held there. The hands pulled him back and Hoseok's back was flat against a solid chest. Hoseok didn't know who it was but his body molded so well against him that he didn't care.

"You came back," a familiar deep voice spoke into Hoseok's ear. Hoseok sighed as he felt the man's sound waves travel through his ears and vibrate right against his center. He wanted him to speak again, maybe if he spoke louder the vibrations would he harder.

"Say it again," Hoseok groaned.

"Say what again?" The voice asked.

"Oh," Hoseok moaned, "that." Hoseok couldn't just feel the voice vibrate through his body, he could see it. Each word was a flash of vibrant color: pinks, blues, yellows. Hoseok felt like he was watching a fireworks show. Actually, he felt like he  _was_  the fireworks show. Hoseok's squeaked in protest when he felt one hand leave his waist, but his objection was quickly taken back when the hand glided down under his sweater and gently squeezed his erection. Hoseok mewled, his senses overloaded. The music, the voice, the hands. Hoseok felt like he was melting but in the best way. He felt that, if he were to liquefy right then and there, he would transform into the sweetest of elixirs, an ambrosia only fit for the gods. Hoseok felt like a god right now. He was so thirsty and he needed a drink, his ambrosia. He twisted around and pressed his body against the man, chest to chest, and licked at the first bit of skin he could find, sucking and nibbling roughly as if this man were a candy.

"Hoseok-ie..." the man groaned as he squeezed Hoseok's ass to press their erections closer against each other.

The smell of his skin, his voice, the way he said his name, it all clicked in Hoseok's head whose body he was against. Hoseok couldn't get enough of him and he wanted more, so much more, so he begged for it.

"Yoongi, please."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck! I missed a week but I had midterms and tests and all that BS (which I'm still not done with fml).  
> Sooooo...I moved the plot faster during this chapter since I made you guys wait!  
> It took me a while to write this because I didn't know where I was going till I got there because I like to stress myself out apparently lol.
> 
> Anyways! Let me know what you guys think! Comments and Kudos, and suggestions/advice is always welcome.  
> Follow me on Tumblr for lit BTS memes and gifs @ao3abx  
> Thanks for reading, babes!  
> abx


	5. Trust Issues

Yoongi wasn't convinced at all when Jungkook told him Jimin was fine. Yoongi had interrogated enough people to know when someone was hiding something, and Jungkook was definitely hiding something. Instead of directly asking, however, Yoongi just decided to head over to see how Jimin was doing for himself.

Yoongi thanked the universe for reuniting him with his board as he zoomed through the empty dark streets towards Jimin's. His speed caused air to rush past him causing a cooling effect that was very much welcomed in the gross humidity. 

He stopped at the curb and stepped off the board to walk towards Jimin's bedroom window. His dark red shades obstructed any view into the bedroom. He stooped over to look for a small pebble to knock onto Jimin's window but he was annoyed to see that there were only fallen tree branches and rocks big enough to possibly shatter the glass window. Yoongi decided that the branches were his best bet so he picked one up and looked up at the window before launching the branch. Yoongi was surprised to see that, instead of plinking the glass and rebounding back to the ground, the branch flew straight through the shades and into the room. Yoongi scratched his head in confusion and waited for a response. He counted to ten before losing his patience and grabbing another, bigger, stick to throw into the room. He threw the stick with more fervor now, cursing Jimin for making him exert so much energy, then heard a hollow thump and an elongated, "oooww."

Soon after, a mop of black hair popped out from between the curtains to look down at whoever just assaulted him with that tree branch. Yoongi couldn't help but chuckle at Jimin's scowl as the boy growled in frustration before disappearing back into the room to throw his makeshift rope down for Yoongi to climb.

Yoongi looked at the rope for a few seconds wishing that he could somehow grow wings and fly up to the room rather than climb. He latched onto the rope anyway and began his ascent. By the time he stumbled through the window, he was a panting mess so he sat down on the floor with his back against the wall just beneath the window. His eyes were closed as he focused on calming his breathing but he was surprised to find that Jimin didn't greet him. He wondered why the boy was so quiet and, when he opened his eyes, he understood why.

There were at least five empty smashed beer cans strewn all over Jimin's desk, two bottles of soju, one empty and one yet to be opened, and there was Jimin in the middle of the room brooding as he stared into space with his drunken dilated pupils.

"What," Yoongi panted, "the hell's the matter with you?" He asked this with genuine curiosity in his voice.

"I'm not drunk," Jimin said with a clear voice. He sounded very disappointed however.

"Okay..." Yoongi shook his head slowly signaling Jimin to continue.

"Get drunk with me,"

Yoongi was taken aback by the words but he couldn't lie and say he wasn't tempted. He wouldn't mind a couple shots of soju, but he also wanted to know what was bothering his friend, so he asked him.

"I'll tell you when we're drunk," was all Jimin said. 

Yoongi gathered that whatever was Jimin must have been important if he couldn't even speak about it when he was sober. So Yoongi gladly took Jimin up on his offer.  _Two birds one stone,_ he thought,  _I get to help Jimin and I get free booze._

 

Yoongi was a lightweight. His whole family was. Why he thought he could outdrink Jimin was beyond him and now he was too drunk to sit up. He lay on his back on Jimin's bed while Jimin still sat on the chair that Yoongi found him sitting in when he crawled through the window. Yoongi was so drunk that he forgot why he had gotten drunk in the first place so, when Jimin spoke up, he startled Yoongi.

"I like Jungkook," Jimin deadpanned.

Yoongi was confused. Of course Jimin liked Jungkook, they were friends after all. Yoongi couldn't think of a proper response so he just slurred out, "Same."

Jimin blinked at Yoongi, "What?"

"I like strawberry ice cream, too. But only in a bowl. It's gross from a waffle cone,"

"No, what?" Jimin shook his head, "Why are you talking about ice cream right now?"

"I thought we were naming things we liked. You said Jungkook so I said strawberry ice cream," Yoongi declared as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, Yoongi. I  _like_ Jungkook," Jimin said slower.

"Okay, and I like strawberry ice cream," 

"Dude, " Jimin face palmed, "I don't like Jungkook like that,"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it's different,"

"Different how?"

"How much do you like strawberry ice cream?"

"Like...a lot,"

"That's how much I like Jungkook," Jimin surmised.

"So, he's like your strawberry ice cream?"

"Uh...yeah?" Jimin really hoped Yoongi understood by now because he was starting to regret telling his friend.

"Wow," Yoongi sat up on his elbows to look at Jimin before turning his head back straight ahead, "Shit." He definitely understood.

"Yeah," Jimin added.

"For how long?" Yoongi asked softly.

"Not too long. A couple of months, maybe?"

"Shit," Yoongi repeated. He stayed silent after that and Jimin felt like squirming even though Yoongi wasn't staring at him.

"Well," Jimin added after a while, "Don't you wanna know what happened?" He rubbed at his elbow as he stared down at the stained carpet of his floor.

"Only if you want me to," Yoongi said as he, once again, brought his attention back to the boy.

"Jungkook and I fell asleep on my bed and he was having a sex dream, I guess, because he started groaning and grinding against me and I couldn't help but get turned on so I relieved myself, I guess, and he was awake, maybe, because when I finished he woke up and left without a word," Jimin finally inhaled for oxygen as he spewed out everything.

He watched as Yoongi's eyes widened after each word and now he felt even more mortified as Yoongi just stared at him with those round dark eyes.

"Shit," Yoongi said.

Jimin sighed, "How many times are you going to say that?"

"Sorry, it's just...Shit,"

Jimin felt like his buzz was wearing off so he turned away from Yoongi to pour himself another shot only to find that the once full soju bottle was now bone dry.

"Dammit, I'm out of alcohol. I really can't be sober right now," Jimin groaned as he cradled his head in his hands.

Yoongi felt bad for Jimin. Not only did he have a crush on his best friend, but he also might have been rejected.  _What's worse? Outright Rejection or pretending to be clueless?_  Either way, Yoongi knew how it felt to have unrequited feelings for someone so he wanted to help his friend feel better, or at least get drunk enough to forget what he was so sad about.

Yoongi rolled out of bed and slowly uncurled his body into an upright standing position so he didn't fall over, "C'mon," he said as he stumbled towards the window.

"Where are we going?" Jimin asked.

"To the best place to forget all your problems," Yoongi slurred as he reached down for the rope to throw out of the window.

"You're trying to go out the window? As drunk as you are?"

"Is there any other way?" Yoongi asked expecting to get a head shake and a mumbled, "you're right" but instead what he got was a sassy "Duh."

"The front door," Jimin scrunched his face as he questioned his friend's intelligence.

"But your parents--"

"Aren't here," Jimin interrupted as he slipped on his shoes and tidied his hair using his mirror.

"Then why did you make me climb all the way up here?" Yoongi drunkenly complained. Jimin couldn't help but to smile at how cute Yoongi was when he was drunk.

"You hit me in the head with a branch, you deserved it," Jimin stated as he walked out of his room towards the entrance to the house with Yoongi trailing as closely as he could behind.

 

 

It took many wrong turns and confused directions but Yoongi and Jimin were finally standing in front of Erotica.

"Yoongi, I don't think we should--"

"Why isn't the bouncer out here to stand guard?" Yoongi asked not even hearing Jimin. He stepped into the club with no further hesitation and, when he noticed Jimin wasn't following, his grabbed his friend's wrist and pulled him in. Yoongi held onto Jimin as he dragged him to the bar.

"Yoongi, actually I'm okay. I don't really feel like getting drunk anymore so we should just--" Jimin was once again silenced as he was forcibly pushed down to sit on a bar stool.

"Lisa, hun," Yoongi slurred but, unless you knew him, it really wasn't that different to his usual lazy drawl, "This is Jimin. Give him all the drinks he wants on me."

"You got it," a pretty blonde said before she turned her attention to Jimin, "What can I get for you?"

Jimin looked from Yoongi's expectant eyes to Lisa's before determining that he just couldn't give a single shit at the moment, "Three shots of soju, I guess."

"Atta boy," Yoongi grinned as he patted Jimin on his back. "Now, I want you to have fun but promise me something," Yoongi stated seriously.

"What?"

"Stay lowkey. If you see Seokjin or Namjoon, turn the other way, alright? I'll be in deep shit if they see you here,"

"Then why bring me here?" Jimin asked. It was a good question.

"This is the only place that I can stand to be around some many people in," Yoongi stated without hesitation, it must've been the truth.

"And why's that," Jimin chuckled as he thanked that bartender, Lisa, when she placed his shots in front of him.

"Cause I get paid for it," Yoongi said easily. This must've been the truth as well, but it still confused Jimin. Yoongi leaned against the bar with his back against it as he surveyed the club. Jimin kept his eyes on the bar wall across from him and Yoongi seemed to notice his friend's slight apprehension. Yoongi poked Jimin on the shoulder and pointed to a door across the club that would have been hard to notice if one weren't told about, "Whenever you're ready, we can go through that door and the real fun can start." Yoongi smiled mischievously but Jimin didn't feel threatened, in fact, he felt excited. He smiled brightly and nodded before taking another shot.

Jimin didn't think the three shots had gotten to him until he stood up from the stool. If it hadn't have been for Yoongi steadying him, he would have tipped over. This made Jimin giggle and, soon, he was a mess of giddy laughter. He was already feeling better. Yoongi lifted one eyebrow in a silent question and Jimin nodded his reply.

Yoongi grabbed Jimin by the wrist gently as he led him towards the door that seemed to hide in plain sight. Jimin wondered what was behind it. When they got to the door, Yoongi turned around to look at Jimin. His eyes went behind Jimin for a split second and back to Jimin before quickly shifting back to something behind Jimin. Jimin saw the flash in Yoongi's eyes,  _what was that look?_

Jimin gave Yoongi a questioning look as he stepped to the side of the door, "You go on ahead, I'll be right behind you," Yoongi said distractedly.

"But..." Yoongi saw Jimin's hesitation so he opened the door and gently pushed Jimin towards the door with his hand on the small of his back.

"Don't worry," Yoongi clarified, "I'll be right behind." Jimin turned to look to see what was behind the opened door to see a black curtain. He looked back at Yoongi and saw that his friend was giving him an encouraging smile. He trusted his friend so Jimin convinced himself that nothing bad could possibly happen because, after all, Yoongi would never put him in danger. Jimin took a couple of steps before Yoongi called out to him, "Don't forget to have fun." Jimin nodded slowly before pulling back the curtains and disappearing behind the dark cloak.

Yoongi sighed as he watched his friend go into the other side of the club. He sincerely hoped his friend would be able to forget about Jungkook for a night and just let loose. He, on the other hand, had something else to take care of.

At first, he really thought that it wasn't Hoseok out on the dancefloor. But Yoongi couldn't mistake the unique thick black hair, the height, and that sweater. Yoongi had owned that sweater for years and it suddenly went missing from his house a couple of months back. Turns out Hoseok had taken it but, when he saw Hoseok in it, Yoongi couldn't see any reason for that sweater other than to sit on Hoseok's shoulders.

 _Why the hell was Hoseok here, too?_  Yoongi surmised that Hoseok did not come alone based on his attitude about coming here back at his house. If anything, Jungkook had convinced Hoseok to come along with him and Yoongi had a feeling that Jungkook was nearby. Having Jimin here was bad enough but three?! If they got caught, Yoongi was definitely in real deep shit now. Yoongi replayed Seokjin's warning to him about convincing the boys not to come back. Sober Yoongi is reliable but drunk Yoongi is useless as shit.

Even with the threat of an angry Seokjin looming over his head, Yoongi couldn't help but be entranced by Hoseok's dancing. His gyrating hips, the way his head fell back to show the soft skin of his neck. From the closer distance, Yoongi could see that Hoseok's eyes were closed and that he kept flicking his tongue out to wet his lips, biting his bottom lip every now and then. Yoongi didn't know if it was because he was too drunk, but everything seemed to move in slow motion. He focused on Hoseok's large hands and how they slid over every part of Hoseok's body and how his long fingers tangled in his hair. Yoongi has never seen Hoseok dance like this but he loved it.

When he finally got close enough, he reached his hands around Hoseok's slim waist and pressed his chest against Hoseok's back, trying to get as close as possible to the man. Hoseok's scent washed over him and Yoongi just wanted to melt into Hoseok's form. If Yoongi were sober he would have just sat and watched as Hoseok danced, but drunk Yoongi was a brave Yoongi so he dropped all inhibitions and let his body, instead of his mind, do the work. He inhaled Hoseok's natural perfume as he groaned out,

"You came back."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jungkook was in heaven. Or was it hell? There was a demon dancing on him, after all, but it just felt so good. He looked up and noticed that the demon's back was facing him. He scowled a bit before gripping her hips and turning her around. It put her in an awkward position where one of her legs was straddling his legs but the other was planted firmly on the floor. She gave him a questioning look which only deepened when she was given a peaceful smile in return.

"I just wanted to see your eyes. They're so pretty," Jungkook sighed as he stared fondly into her irises.

Jisoo was honestly thrown off. She expected a sleazy comment about how nice her body was and how it would look better lying on a bed. She got that a lot. But never a compliment about her eyes, guys were just too busy looking at her ass or breasts to notice her eyes. She didn't know how to respond so she just faked an easy smile and continued dancing.

"Your hair looks so soft," Jungkook continued, his hands laying at his sides.

"You're quite distracted," Jisoo replied, feeling a little uncomfortable at how deeply Jungkook was staring at her.

"You're quite distracting,"

"Don't you like my dancing?" Jisoo tried to return Jungkook's attention to her hips.

"Yeah, but I like your voice more. It feels like little fairies are whispering in my ears," Jungkook closed his eyes as he sunk further into the couch.

Jisoo couldn't help but laugh now, "Oh really?"

"You're laugh is even better,"

"What does it sound, or feel, like?" Jisoo knew the boy beneath her was on something, most likely a stimulant, but she also didn't mind the compliments.

"The fairies are dancing now," this made Jisoo laugh which also made Jungkook start laughing. Jisoo had to hold onto Jungkook's shoulders to steady herself in the weird position that he had turned her in. The sudden contact made Jungkook flinch and stare at Jisoo as if he were accusing her of something.

"W-what?" Jisoo muttered worriedly. She looked down at her hands before subtly trying to remove them from Jungkook's shoulder. They were off for only a second before Jungkook's hands flew out and gripped her tiny hands in his larger ones. She flinched and tried to pull her hands away only to have his hands grip her's tighter. She was going to call out for help from security before Jungkook spoke.

"Are these electrified?" Jungkook said turning her hands in his as he examined them closely.

"Huh?"

Jisoo was so bewildered at this point that she didn't even fight when Jungkook used his hands to stroke his chest with Jisoo's hands. It was like her hands were brushes and he was painting himself with a paint that only he could see. Jisoo scrunched her eyebrows as she watched the boy run her fingers along his shoulders and chest.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Everywhere you touch, it feels like some electric current flows from you into me," Jungkook explained as he continued his light palpitations.

Jisoo laughed and stared as her hands ran across Jungkook's torso, he was quite sweaty already. It was hot in the club, but not so hot, so Jisoo was a little thrown off by this. She looked up to his face to see a boyish smile but fiery eyes. He ran her hands along his chest and Jisoo felt the hard muscles of his pectorals and he brought it down even further so that she could feel his defined abdominals. Jungkook's grip had loosened significantly so Jisoo took the opportunity to slip one of her hands out of his. Jungkook looked at her with a slightly pouted lower lip expressing his disapproval of the loss of contact. Jisoo smiled as she brought her free hand up slowly and used her index finger to gently run it against Jungkook's lower lip. It was a touch that would barely be felt by in normal circumstances, but Jungkook's heightened senses went into overdrive at the contact.

"Mmm," Jungkook sighed as he flicked his tongue out meaning to wet his lip but caught Jisoo's finger as well. She laughed as she pulled her finger away and brought it back to Jungkook's chest naturally.

"Wow, you taste sweet. Like cotton candy," Jungkook said as he straightened his back off the couch and tilted his neck back to look straight into Jisoo's eyes. Jisoo still couldn't handle the direct eye contact so she looked up and scanned the crowd. Her teeth clenched when she saw  _him._

She had chosen to dance for Jungkook because she would be able to see her ex-boyfriend and he would be able to see her. It was supposed to be an innocent competition, a "look at me now" attitude. Jisoo knew she was being petty but she genuinely loved that man and he just dropped her. She would never let him see her broken so she pretended to be fine, unbothered. 

Her heart skipped a beat when they made eye contact from across the room. She wanted so badly to look away but she forced herself to maintain the eye contact. Her eyes flitted down to his mouth when it stretched into a gross, sinister grin that she'd never seen before. The girl that he had brought with him that night was next to him on her phone paying no attention to the commotion, or the man, in the room. His hands went around her waist and gripped tightly to hoist her onto his lap. Jisoo's eyebrows furrowed at this because, she thought, the only reason to bring that girl onto his lap was to maybe block Jisoo's view of him, but she still saw him because he tilted on the couch he was sitting on to allow Jisoo a clear unobstructed view of his face. She didn't know what he was doing until he did it. He grabbed his girl by the nap of the neck and dragged her down to give her the most sloppy, unnecessary, inappropriate, crude, lewd kiss Jisoo has ever seen in this club. And this was Erotica for God's sake. Jisoo couldn't help but stare.  _He was doing this on purpose! Right? He had to be...Right?_

All doubt escaped Jisoo when his eyes shot open and stared intensely at Jisoo while his mouth still opened and closed as he continued to molest that women with his tongue. He was staring into her soul, her purpose in life, her motivations, her childhood, her memories of their relationship, everything. But his eyes were so dead, so empty, that she was the one feeling molested. His stare was intense, as was Jungkook's, but this felt more sinister and cold unlike the warm and inviting eyes of Jungkook. Jisoo hadn't noticed she had frozen until she felt Jungkook's warm yet rough hands circle her waist questioningly. 

Jungkook looked up at Jisoo with furrowed eyebrows.  _Why did she stop her lovely dance?_ He noticed that her attention was somewhere behind him so he shifted to look back. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary until he saw that one guy making out with his girlfriend with his eyes wide open. Jungkook could already hear Taehyung's voice in his head, "Don't ever, ever, EVER trust someone who kisses with their eyes open. They're psycho as HELL, BRO!" Jungkook giggled at his thoughts before focusing again.  _Where was this guy looking?_  Jungkook saw that the guy was looking behind him as well. He turned his head to follow the man's gaze and saw Jisoo looking back at him.  _Oh, they must know each other. But...Are those tears?_

"Hey..." Jungkook gently squeezed Jisoo's waist trying to get her attention. She blinked a few times before looking down at him and her eyes were wide as if she didn't recognize the boy beneath her. Her lower lip was hanging and she was sucking in air as if she had just sprinted 50 meters. Jungkook stroked her back gently with one hand and used his other hand to grip her waist a little tighter as if to make her feel secure.

"I-I'm sorry," Jisoo said as she shot off Jungkook's lap and dashed and pushed through the crowd to the back of the club and out of sight before Jungkook could blink.

Jungkook sat there looking at where Jisoo had disappeared to for he didn't know how long. He looked back to the man to see that the girl on his lap was now sitting next to him on her phone like she wasn't just having a tongue war with the man. The guy and Jungkook made eye contact and he grinned, revealing straight but yellowed teeth. His sneer was so disgusting, cocky, and, just so evil. Jungkook's blood boiled and the man must have noticed his anger because his shoulders started moving up and down as if he were chuckling. 

 _He's fucking laughing? At me?_ Jungkook didn't even feel his body lift off the couch or his feet stomp the ground as he raced to the man with clenched fists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Namjoon was in the bathroom shirtless trying to remove the wine stain on his white dress shirt with seltzer water.

"Why the fuck do we serve wine at a strip club?" Namjoon muttered to himself as he poured more seltzer on the shirt and scrunched his shirt up to squeeze out the excess liquid.

He had literally just seen Jungkook and Hoseok enter the club and made to storm towards them when a stubby man in a suit with a greasy bald head crashed into him and got his red wine all over Namjoon's shirt. Namjoon loved his clothes and shoes and took extreme care in handling them and making sure he always looked good in them. No matter how badly he wanted to just smack that bald head, he smiled and apologized for being so careless (even though he's pretty sure the guy walked into  _him_ ) and bought the guy another glass of wine.

"Always kiss the rich one's asses," Namjoon grumbled sarcastically.

He sighed and rested his hands on the rim of the sink in front of him and took this moment to look at his reflection in the mirror. He looked at his shoulder muscles and how they have become more defined over the past few months. What happened to Seokjin was something that Namjoon never wanted to happen again to anyone he loved. He started working out and kept men in his company who would do anything he told them to without question, like kill someone. Speaking of men who would do anything, Namjoon took his phone out of his pocket and looked through his contact list until he found who he was looking for. He texted his friend, Jinyoung, that he needed a white shirt pronto before putting his phone back in his pocket. And Speaking of killing, Namjoon wanted nothing more than to shoot that spoiled man child, Kim Jisoo. He's mentioned it several times to Seokjin and each time he was either slapped or pinched.

"You think I went through all of that just to let him off that easy?" Seokjin's voice echoed through Namjoon's mind. Namjoon moved his eyes up to look at his face. Contrasted heavily with his toned body, his face was gaunt and he had gross dark circles under his eyes. He looked tired because he was. He looked like he didn't eat because he didn't. He always looked paranoid because he  _was_ always paranoid. Seokjin had been more sensitive than usual and Namjoon had to watch his words very carefully or else it was...

Namjoon looked at the fading yellow bruise on his ribs and lifted his hand to press it gently. It didn't hurt anymore, it was just a mark now, but when he stared at it, his body ached. Namjoon shook his head and exhaled the air in his lungs that he didn't realize he was holding until his chest started to feel tight. He dug his hand into his pocket and took his phone out when he felt it vibrate. 

 **Jinyoung _:_** _Gotchuuuuu_  [Sent 10:01 PM]

 **Jinyoung:** _Where r u?_ [Sent 10:01 PM]

 **Boss:** _Bathroom_ [Sent 10:02 PM]

Namjoon put his phone down and went back to looking at his reflection. He wondered if, after all this was done, whether Seokjin would go back to being his past giddy and fun friend. He loved that Seokjin, not this imposter who shared an apartment with him. He had the same face that Namjoon had fell in love with, but his eyes were empty and his smile forced, and Namjoon's heart was in a constant state of confusion. 

Namjoon had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Jinyoung walk in until he waved his hand in front of Namjoon's distant eyes.

"Hello? Your fairy godmother is here, acknowledge my presence," Jinyoung quipped.

Namjoon chuckled and took the neatly folded shirt from his friend's hands. Seokjin was right in making sure that Namjoon always had a stash of shirts in the club in case of accidents. And Namjoon's life wasn't normal unless one accident happened at least once a day.

"Thanks," Namjoon said simply.

"What happened anyway?" Jinyoung asked as he saw Namjoon's soaked shirt in the sink.

"Wine," Namjoon muttered as he frowned at the soaked shirt before putting on the new dry one. 

"Of all places to serve wine," Jinyoung quipped.

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID!" Namjoon exclaimed feeling relieved that he wasn't the only one to notice the pretentiousness of the place. Jinyoung laughed and Namjoon finally looked at him for the first time since he entered the bathroom. His thick black hair was covering half of his forehead and it curved into a backwards "c" shape. He was wearing the plain black suit with a white dress shirt under but he made it look so chic and elegant at the same time. His full lips were set in the easy smile that Jinyoung had almost all the time. Namjoon always felt more at ease when Jinyoung was around. 

Namjoon didn't realize that he was staring until his phone vibrated almost falling off the sink it was resting on. Namjoon felt his face get warm in embarrassment and he looked back up to Jinyoung to see the same easy smile on his face.  _He must not have noticed,_ Namjoon reasoned.

 **Seokjin:** _How's Kim Jisoo?_      [Sent 10:05 PM]

Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows and gave Jinyoung a questioning look before looking back at the text. He didn't know why but Jinyoung's calm presence made him feel calm and somewhat playful. He grinned as he texted back.

 **Namjoon:** _Which one?_ [Sent 10:05 PM]

 **Seokjin:** _..._ [Sent 10:06 PM]

 **Seokjin:** _How is HE_                 [Sent 10:06 PM]

 **Namjoon:** _He hasn't caused a scene so I'm assuming he's okay_ [Sent 10:06 PM]

 **Seokjin:** _Assuming? Where are you?_  [Sent 10:07 PM]

Namjoon's jaw clenched as he could sense Seokjin's rising irritability through the texts. He rolled his neck as he tried to think of a way out of the hole he dug himself into thinking that he could make a simple joke without fueling the wrath of his once closest friend. Jinyoung laughed.

"Wifey's mad?"

"Getting there. I didn't even try to piss him off, though," Namjoon mewled as he leaned his back on the sink and looked to his friend for help.

Jinyoung just smiled, "Don't know if you know this, but just seeing your face can piss even the mellowest dude off."

"You're the mellowest dude I know,"

"And you piss me off the most," Jinyoung quipped quickly. Namjoon couldn't help but laugh. Namjoon had to admit that this was going to be a tough night what with Hoseok and Jungkook being here when they weren't supposed to and Seokjin stressing over Kim Jisoo. But Jinyoung always had a way of making him worry less. 

They both stood there, Namjoon staring at the floor, and Jinyoung playing with his hands. A phone vibrated and Namjoon checked his phone to see it if it was his, but it wasn't. Jinyoung took his phone out of his breast pocket and looked at it before pursing his lips.

"Seems we got trouble, Boss," Jinyoung said before handing his phone over for Namjoon to read.

 **Youngjae:** _Another shipment got busted by some no-names. We caught them and are holding them for questioning. We're at the Crates._ [Sent 10:16 PM]

"Shit," Namjoon said as he straightened up from the sink.

"Shit is correct," Jinyoung said as he put his phone back in his breast pocket and straightened his lapels before stepping to the side to let Namjoon walk ahead of him out of the bathroom. Namjoon scrolled furiously through his phone before tapping and putting it to his ear.

"Yoongi, we got some business to handle. Meet me in the back alley." Namjoon was silent for a moment as he listened to Yoongi before he replied, "The Crates."

Namjoon rolled his sleeved up to his elbows as he strode to the back doors with Jinyoung silently close towards the alley where his parked black Cadillac waited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 **TaeTae:** _I'm bored :(_ [Sent 10:01 PM]

Seokjin had impatiently unlocked his phone hoping that Namjoon had responded to him only to find that it was Taehyung who had texted him. He snickered as he sat in a dark corner of the club with a good view of Kim Jisoo's position. He paid no attention to anything else around him for all his focus was on making sure that man stayed seated on that couch. If Namjoon wasn't going to watch him, then he will. Seokjin purposefully made sure no dancers went over to Jisoo so that he would get bored and just leave. But's it's been almost 45 minutes and he was still there causing Seokjin's self-control to wear thin.

 **TaeTae:** _Did you just leave me on "read?"_ [Sent 10:04 PM]

Seokjin didn't even notice that he had ignored Taehyung's text but he really wasn't in the mood to entertain his friend at the moment. He put his phone face down on the table and continued to watch Jisoo. Seokjin heard his phone vibrate again but ignored. It buzzed again and Seokjin bit the inside of his cheek. It went off a third time and Seokjin snatched his phone.

 

 **TaeTae:** _You probably read that last one too._ [Sent 10:06 PM]

 **TaeTae:** _Wooooooowwwww_ [Sent 10:07 PM]

 **TaeTae:** _Big bro???_ [Sent 10:09 PM]

 **Jin:** _This better be important_ [Sent 10:10 PM]

 **TaeTae:** _It is!!!_ [Sent 10:11 PM]

**Jin:** _Okay what?_

**TaeTae:** _I'm bored :(_

**Jin:** _Goodbye._ [Sent 10:12 PM]

 **TaeTae:** _C'mon!! I'm by myself and the silence is suffocatingggg_   

 **Jin:** _You act like I'm your only friend_ [Sent 10:13 PM]

**TaeTae:** _You're the only one that answered my texts..._

**Jin:** _Where's Hoseok?_

**TaeTae:** _He left_

**Jin:** _Where?_ [Sent 10:14 PM]

**TaeTae:** _Idk_

**Jin:** _Jungkook?_

**TaeTae:** _He left with Hoseok_ [Sent 10:15 PM]

**Jin:** _WHERE?_

**TaeTae:** _IDK_

**Jin:** _What about Jimin?_ [Sent 10:16 PM]

 **TaeTae:** _He's not answering my texts or his window_  

**TaeTae:** _As you can see I'm alone and bored_

**TaeTae:** _Can you just hang out with me??_ [Sent 10:17 PM]

 

Seokjin was in the middle of texting a reply to Taehyung when his phone vibrated and Namjoon's name displayed on the screen. He answered it quickly and listened.

"There's been another busted shipment, at the Crates this time. I already called Yoongi. I'm waiting in the car." Namjoon declared, straight to the point. Seokjin was already out of his seat when Namjoon hung up and he was on his way to the back door before he gave Kim Jisoo one last look and headed off. 

 _Taehyung will just have to find his own entertainment,_ Seokjin thought as he straightened his jacket and weaved through the crowd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Jimin walked through the door he almost ran back into Yoongi's arm in shock. The room had a completely different vibe than the main part of the club, but it was just as big. Basically, it was a club within a club and Jimin stood in wonder at how well hidden it was. Jimin looked up to stare at the flashing lights and was hypnotized by them.

Jimin didn't know how long he'd been entranced before someone crashed into him. Jimin was sent off balance but was caught by strong hands.

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry!" Said a deep voice from above Jimin. Jimin instinctually had closed his eyes from the impact but his eyes shot right open when he heard the voice. When he opened his eyes, they widened in shock when they focused on who was standing above him.

"Oh...uh..." Jimin stammered not quite sure what to say.

"Are you okay," The man laughed gently and a puff of air hit Jimin's face. It wasn't at all unpleasant and it only served to make Jimin more baffled at his current situation. Where was he again?

"I'm..." Jimin trailed off which only made the man laugh.

"Here," the man said as he straightened Jimin and removed his hands from his waist. Jimin missed the contact already. "Are you okay, now?" 

Jimin seemed to sense how completely stupid he looked not being able to form words so he cleared his throat and tried again, "Yeah, sorry."

"Good. Oh, uh, I'm Jackson, by the way." He reached his hand and Jimin grabbed onto it taking note of how much smaller his own hand was compared to Jackson's.

"J-Jimin," he stuttered out, mentally cursing himself.

"Jimin," Jackson tested the name which made Jimin smile brightly and giggle like a schoolgirl, "Can I get you a drink, Jimin? I mean, it's the least I can do after ramming into you like that." Jackson's eyes flashed and Jimin could have sworn that Jackson enunciated that last part, but he just dismissed it as his still being drunk.

"Oh, no, it's okay. Really," Jimin said as he held his hands up to wave off the offer.

"No, I insist," Jackson said as he, again, gripped Jimin's hand and led him further into the club. They stopped at a bar whose counter was made of glass and reflected the flashing lights of the club to create a very chic and futuristic vibe. Jimin liked the aesthetic of this club way better than the other.

"Pick your poison," Jackson said, still holding on to Jimin's hand.

"Nothing too fancy,"

"Oh, you're simple. I like simple people," Jackson said as he knocked on the glass counter to get the bartender's attention. Now that Jackson wasn't staring into Jimin's eyes, Jimin gathered up the courage to examine this mysterious boy. His hair was bleached blonde, but it looked so natural for him. The bartender came over and Jackson started talking to him and Jimin watched how Jackson's lips moved to from words and how his mouth just invited sex even if he did menial things like ordering a drink. Jackson stopped talking and turned around to flash Jimin a smile. Jimin blinked and gave a distracted smile back, hoping Jackson would turn back around so he could keep examining him. When he did, Jimin dragged his eyes down to his back. He had a nice frame with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Jimin imagined his arms wrapped around his waist but shook his head to clear out the thoughts. Jimin kept moving his eyes down and they settled on Jackson's ass.  _Pfft, mine's better,_ he thought just as shot glass clinked against the counter.

"And here we are!" Jackson exclaimed as he finally let go of Jimin's hand to retrieve two shot glasses. He handed one to Jimin, "Bottoms up!" He shot his head back as he took the shot a freakish green liquid that Jimin took no notice of as he watched Jackson's Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed. Jackson brought his head back down as he puffed out an exhale as the burn in his throat subsided. He looked at Jimin and saw that his shot glass was still full and raised his eyebrow, not disapprovingly, but curiously. Jimin noticed and immediately downed the shot grimacing at its intense burn. 

"Yeah, its strong. But you'll only need to take it once," Jackson said as he took the empty shot glass from Jimin's hand and placed it back on the counter along with his own.

"What is that?" Jimin groaned as he rubbed his tongue against the roof of his mouth trying to ease the stinging.

"Absinthe," Jackson replied as he took Jimin's hand in his again and walked him towards the throng of dancing people.

"Now what?" Jimin said as he let himself be guided through the crowd.

"Now," Jackson said as he turned around and grabbed Jimin by the waist pulling him to his chest, "we dance."

Jimin laughed as he watched Jackson whoop and dance like a maniac. He was right when he said one shot of absinthe would be enough because Jimin still felt drunk after dancing for what felt like hours.

"Your smile is so beautiful," Jackson said as he placed his hands on Jimin's hips, his words crisp and clear.

"You're so beautiful," Jimin said as he wrapped his arms around Jackson's neck, his words contrastingly very slurred. Jimin placed his forehead on Jackson's shoulder and moved his hips along to the music that didn't seem so loud now that he could smell Jackson's sweet skin. Jackson placed his cheek on Jimin's head and brought his hands around Jimin to hold his lower back.

"Are you having fun," Jackson intoned, his voice deeper and gentler against Jimin's ear.

"Yeah," Jimin sighed.

"Good, you looked so worried when you got here. I just wanted to brighten your night up a little,"

"So, you walked into me on purpose?" Jimin asked as he lifted his head of Jackson's shoulder to look up at him. 

"Yeah, kinda lame, right?" Jackson laughed looking back at Jimin.

"Hmm...nah," Jimin replied as he placed his head back on Jackson's shoulder. Jackson smiled as he wrapped his arms tighter against Jimin and brought their bodies closer.

With his face hidden from view, Jimin clenched his eyes shut as he remembered why he was here in the first place.  _Jungkook._ Just a couple of hours ago he was trying to drink himself to death worried about Jungkook and if he knew what Jimin did. Now, here he was, dancing so comfortably with a guy he barely knew. Not even the absinthe could block the shame and fear Jimin had growing inside of him. Jimin instinctively tensed up as he recalled the events earlier.

Sensing this, Jackson moved his head back to try and look at Jimin, "Hey, what's up?" When Jackson saw how utterly panicked Jimin’s eyes were, he cupped Jimin's cheek in worry, "What's wrong?"

"I just-Nothing, it's nothing," Jimin tried to smile to ease Jackson's worry.

It didn't seem to work as Jackson took Jimin's hand firmly and walked him further into the club towards a section of holographic couches that sat against a wall. The section of couches was blocked off by a rope that was guarded by a man in a suit who didn't even blink an eye when Jackson walked past him. Jimin thought this was weird. Jackson must be pretty important if the guards let him into this section so either he's pretty rich and paid for this access, or he was somehow associated with this club. Either way, Jackson was not just a regular guy.

Jackson sat Jimin down on one of the couches and sat next to him, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward in order to hear Jimin.

"Tell me," Jackson commanded softly.

"Tell you what?" Jimin asked as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and avoided Jackson's curious eyes.

"Everything," Jackson implored as he used his thumb and index finger to gently pull Jimin's chin towards him. Jimin thought he was pulling him into a kiss and he felt relieved but also disappointed when all Jackson wanted was eye contact. His eyes were so kind and Jimin felt, for some odd reason, that he could trust Jackson. His face was empty of any harshness so Jimin felt like he wouldn't be judged for what he was feeling.

Jimin sighed and began to speak. He told Jackson everything from the boys' first night at the club, Taehyung's comatose state, Yoongi's outburst. Jackson listened intently, asking questions every now and then to fill the holes that Jimin left as he recounted the tales impatiently. Jimin paused and forced a laugh out as he began to talk about what happened with him and Jungkook on his bed. He stuttered and mumbled as he told Jackson what happened but he got through it, expecting Jackson to say something, but was greeted with silence.

"So...Here I am. I guess," Jimin said as he tried to fill the awkward silence.

"Do you love him?" Jackson blurted out in a tone that was opposite of his usual calm.

"I-What?"

"Him, Jungkook. Do you love him?"

"I, yeah, yeah I think so,"

"You  _think_ so?"

"Well, I mean, I've never loved someone before so I don't really know how I'm supposed to feel. So, yeah, I  _think_ I love Jungkook," Jimin knew he was being ridiculous but he felt offended by Jackson's question. "You think so?" All Jimin did was think, of course he  _thought_ he loved Jungkook, but shit, why ask it like that?

"Have you told him?"

"No way,"

"Why not?"

"What if he rejects me and doesn't want to be my friend anymore? I'd rather stay friends for the rest of our lives and never tell him my feelings,"

"But isn't that just so...constraining?"

"Constraining? Sure, I guess you could say that,"

"Wouldn't you want to be free to say what you feel, when you feel it?"

"Well, yeah," Jimin puffed out a fake laugh as he tried to figure out what Jackson was trying to say.

"Cool, same."

 _What? That's it?_  Jimin was lost for words.  _You're not gonna tell me to confess to Jungkook? Or drop him because liking him is "so constraining?"_ Jimin's mouth hung open as he tried to form words but found that none were coming to him. Seeing this, Jackson burst into laughter, which made Jimin laugh cautiously, at first, but giddily after a few seconds.

"You're not gonna tell me to confess to him?" Jimin asked when he finished laughing and catching his breath.

"Nah, I'm not gonna tell you how to live your life. I hate that shit.  _We_ hate that shit. Which is why folks like us come to places like these," Jackson gestured to the club, "so we can just  _be_. Don't you love just being, Jimin?"

"It's alright," Jimin answered honestly.

"Only alright? Then you're not doing it right,"

"And how am I supposed to 'be?'"

"Didn't I just tell you I'm not gonna tell you how to live your life?" Jackson smiled at Jimin's bewildered expression, "Kidding! First, get out of this little head of yours," Jackson playfully ruffled Jimin's hair who instinctively leaned closer to Jackson's touch, "and doing shit that you find fun, exciting,  _dangerous,” Jackson_ wiggled his eyebrows as he said this which made Jimin giggled.

"You're kinda dangerous,"

"Trust me, baby, compared to everyone else here, I'm nowhere near dangerous," Jackson replied as he sat back on the couch and brought his arm out to rest on the top of the couch behind Jimin's head.

Jimin giggled again, "Baby?"

"Yes, honey?" Jackson replied nonchalantly.

Jimin howled in laughter rocking back slightly accidently, but not unpleasantly, brushing his head against Jackson's arm, "No! You called me 'baby.'"

"Did I? Sorry about that," Jackson replied, not sounding very sorry at all. Jimin always wanted Jungkook to call him "baby" but hearing it from Jackson sounded nice, too.

"You don't have to be," Jimin said as he laid his head on the crook of Jackson's elbow.

Jackson smiled down at Jimin as he brushed away the hair that had fallen onto Jimin's face away, "Then I won't."

After a few moments of comfortable silence, save for the raucous energy of the club, Jimin spoke again, "Jackson?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you help me 'be?'"

"Do you really need help with that?" Jackson asked. When Jimin just shrugged in reply, Jackson turned on the couch to sit face to face with Jimin. "Then you don't have to worry, baby. Just trust in me."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jisoo was glad that Seokjin finally left. He could feel Seokjin’s gaze all night and it flattered him to know that he intimidated the man so much that he couldn’t blink without Seokjin knowing about it. Jisoo, himself, wasn’t intimidated but he wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t annoyed. He came to the club for two reasons: To annoy Seokjin and Namjoon and get drunk and have fun while laughing at the annoyed faces of Seokjin and Namjoon. However, he couldn’t do anything that he initially planned due to his impromptu couch arrest.

Jisoo could do nothing but watch others from his place on the second level of the club with a bird’s eye view of everyone below him. He watched as the female devils dressed, barely, in black and red swayed and gyrated their hips to the bass of the music on and in front of men seated on couches that matched the one Jisoo sat on. The dance floor was packed with people jumping, grinding, and flailing their limbs in an ill attempt to dance. Jisoo shifted his eyes to the bar that was a black marble that matched the shelf behind the bar that had a light behind it that changed to match the club lights hanging off the ceiling. Jisoo eyed the glass bottles filled with all types of alcohol that he thirsted for.

Jisoo blinked and licked his lips forcing his attention away from the bar that called his name so shamelessly. He brought his attention back to the dance floor hoping to find something, or someone, worthwhile in this very underwhelming club.

He scanned the crowd for a minute, eyes shifting, trying to find something to focus on. His eyes stopped and his eyebrows rose when two men caught Jisoo’s attention. Contrary to the upbeat music and frantic dancing around them, there were two men dancing chest-to-chest slowly, sensually, and completely off beat, though this didn’t seem to bother them. One man had bleached blonde hair with pale skin and the other with golden tan skin and light brown hair that almost covered his eyes. Jisoo watched as the taller tan one licked, sucked, and nibbled at the blonde’s neck, how their lips connected and their tongues danced with each other, savoring each other’s taste.

They looked to be in love, and Jisoo hated this.

What was “love” anyway?  Happiness? Feeling lonely if you’re not around the one you supposedly “love?” Jisoo scoffed. _Mother is never happy when Dad is around,_ he thought, _but she is so helpless when he isn’t. Is that love?_   _Is it love when you hurt your partner? You beat them with your words and your fists but that’s okay because you still love them?_ Jisoo shuddered at the memories of his mother’s blood curdling screams and the nauseating sound of bone striking bone whenever his father’s knuckles punched his mother’s cheekbone. His large stiff hand that would smack his mother’s face like a rubber band snapping. His enraged muffled kicks to her robed torso as she was splayed on the floor unconscious. His father wasn’t in love with his mother, he was in love with the power he had over her.

_Did I love my mother? Did I love my weak, helpless, powerless mother who did nothing to defend herself? She didn’t fight back or run. Did she love herself? Did she love me?_

Jisoo stiffened in surprise when a large hand gripped his left shoulder firmly and shook it.

“Boss!”

“What?!” Jisoo exploded roughly shoving the hand of his shoulder as he looked up to see who was bothering him. It was one of his men, whose name he never cared to remember. He looked very young, like a child, but he was balding already and he was always sweating. He was a little on the heavier side but his very round head made him look bigger than he really was. Jisoo saw that the man’s, or boy’s, upper lip was sweating and he, purposefully, grimaced outwardly as he pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped his hand that had touched the other man’s.

“He’s gone,” the man answered simply.

“What? Who?” Jisoo questioned getting more annoyed the more he looked at the man-child’s face.

“Kim Seokjin,” the man pointed to the spot that Seokjin was sitting at that was now empty, “he’s gone.”

Jisoo followed the man’s finger and saw that, indeed, Seokjin was gone.

“Which way did he go?” Jisoo asked as he scanned the crowd.

“To the back exit, he’s been gone for a while now,”

“A while? How long is a while?”

“About five minutes,” the man said as he checked his silver Rolex that seemed to stretch taut around his wide wrist.

Jisoo whipped around to look at the man who flinched in surprise. He didn’t want to set off Jisoo’s easy temper so he stepped back slightly to give the man his space.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Jisoo growled.

“W-we didn’t know i-if he was coming back…we wanted to make sure it was s-safe…Sir,” the man stuttered.

Jisoo rolled his eyes and shot off the couch towards the stairs that led back down to the bar and people below. He heard footsteps close behind and didn’t bother turning around as he roared, “Stay here!”

The men easily complied, not wanting to be anywhere near Jisoo when he was angry, and also because they could finally relax and talk amongst themselves.

Jisoo headed straight towards the bar tapping his finger on the dark marble counter in order to get the bartender’s attention. Jisoo was looking at the club around him when he heard a high voice from the other side of the bar.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asked. Jisoo whipped his head around to see a cute blonde girl looking at him. She was cute, sure, a little skinny. Still not his type. Jisoo smiled anyway before replying.

“Gimme three shots of whatever’s the strongest alcohol you have,”

The blonde bartender raised one eyebrow in amusement before smiling and shrugging, turning around to retrieve a bottle from behind her. Jisoo turned back around to the club, not really caring what drink she poured for him, just hoping that it would get the job done. A loud bang followed by panting sounded causing Jisoo to jump and turn around to find the source. It was a young man with dark hair that was drenched with sweat.

“Water! Water…please,” the boy said between gulps of oxygen. Jisoo couldn’t help but find the boy amusing. _Did he dance himself to exhaustion or something?_  Just at that moment, the bartender set Jisoo’s shot glasses down, all filled to the brim with a clear liquid. Soju, maybe?

Jisoo reached for the shot all the way on the right but it was snatched up by the panting boy and gulped down without hesitation. Jisoo’s fists clenched and his eyes bulged as he watched as the boy literally stole his drink. Jisoo was going to scream when the boy did it for him.

“AAAAHH!” The boy screamed as he put his palm around his throat, “This isn’t water! Fire! FIREEEEE—“

Jisoo smacked his palm over the boy’s mouth but it didn’t stop him from continuing his dramatic screaming, though they were muffled now. The boy coughed and Jisoo noted how no saliva hit his palm, though he could feel the boy’s sweat that coated his face. The boy finally quieted down and Jisoo removed his hand.

“That’s what you get for stealing my drink,” Jisoo grumbled as he pulled his handkerchief from his breast pocket and, again, wiping his hand.

“What was that?” The boy said as he rubbed his neck.

“Alcohol. _My_ alcohol. What?” Jisoo said as he looked at the boy’s grimacing face, “You never had alcohol before?” Jisoo added condescendingly.

“No,” the boy dragged the word out childishly, “I just never had one so strong.”

Jisoo scoffed as the comment and picked up a shot glass and downed it. He immediately regretted it when the liquid made contact with his tongue and immediately set fire to his mouth. His eyes started to tear and he clenched his teeth as he swallowed it down. His whole body shivered as if he were cold though the drink was scalding. Once the drink was down he coughed into his handkerchief that was still in his hand and rubbed at his wet eyes. He heard laughing, or rather giggling, from next to him and he looked up to see the boy trying to hold his laughter in.

Jisoo groaned and cleared his throat, “Shut up,”

“What? You never had alcohol before?” The boy mocked, contorting his voice trying to emulate Jisoo. Jisoo watched as the boy laughed fully and he found himself laughing along as well. Soon enough, they were laughing heartily together and Jisoo tapped the counter to grab the bartender’s attention again.

“Another of…whatever unholy drink this is and a bottle of water for this drama queen,” Jisoo tipped his head in the boy’s direction.

“Drama queen?” Jisoo laughed as the boy raised both his eyebrows and set his mouth is an offended O-shape.

“Shall I remind you of what you did?” Jisoo took a deep breath, “FIREE— “the boy’s palm cut him off and Jisoo noted how damp it was, but he found that he wasn’t as disgusted by this as he was a minute ago.

“Okay, okay,” the boy said as he removed his palm. Jisoo face felt colder without it.

“Gentlemen,” the bartender said as she placed another shot and a bottle of water in front of the men. Her hand was barely off it before the boy snatched it from the counter and downed the contents of the bottle faster than Jisoo has ever seen. He blinked and gave a look to the blonde before she smirked and got another bottle from below the counter and set in on the counter in front of the boy. He didn’t even hesitate and or take time to even breathe before he was downing the other bottle. Jisoo’s eyes widened and he looked to the bartender for guidance only to find that she was calm, supposedly very comfortable with the boy’s behavior. She just placed two more bottles of water in front of him before turning her attention back to another customer at the bar.

The boy had finally finished half of his third bottle of water before he placed it down and exhaled deeply as he tried to catch his breath. He turned to Jisoo and gave him a glorious smile that made Jisoo giddy.

“Thanks,”

“You must’ve been thirsty. Dance too hard?” Jisoo asked as he eyed the second shot that he was too nervous to undertake so soon again.

The boy laughed, “I guess so.”

They sat in silence for a while. Jisoo swirling the liquid in the shot glasses and the boy taking large gulps of water every few seconds or so. Jisoo stopped swirling when he heard laughter from next to him again. He looked at the boy and saw how the boy was watching his hand that held the shot. Jisoo looked down at his own hand and frowned at the dreaded alcohol.

“I don’t think I can do it,” Jisoo laughed.

“Want me to cheer for you?” the boy replied not waiting for permission before he started cheering and whooping. “I believe in you! Yes, go…uh. What’s your name?”

“Kim Jisoo,” Jisoo laughed not trying to quiet the boy this time.

“Yes! Go, Kim Jisoo. SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!” the boy continued.

“I’ll do it, but only if you do it with me,” Jisoo offered. The boy immediately shut up with furrowed eyebrows and his lips turned slightly downward in a weak frown.

“I don’t want that poison again,”

“C’mon,”

“Nope! Hell no,”

Jisoo sighed and bit the inside of his cheek as he braced himself to do something he hadn’t done in a very long time. He blinked at the boy and pouted his lips.

“Please…” Jisoo said in a higher pitch.

“Oh, jeez, not you, too,” the boy said, “Fine, fine, give it.” Jisoo whooped and handed the boy a glass.

“Love shot?” Jisoo offered half-jokingly but was surprised when the boy wrapped his arm around his own.

“Let’s do this quickly, shall we?” the boy said with clenched teeth.

“Wait, your name,”

“What?”  
“You know my name, but I don’t know yours,”  
“Oh, it’s Hoseok. Jung Hoseok,”

“Well, bottoms up, Jung Hoseok,” Jisoo said as he tipped his head back and downed the shot. His taste buds rejected the gross taste and he pursed his lips to not spit the drink out. He groaned inwardly as he closed his eyes and dropped his head, forgetting how close he was to Hoseok and found himself resting his head in the space where Hoseok’s neck met his shoulder. Hoseok seemed to be suffering as well as he dropped his head and rested it on the back of Jisoo’s head.

“Yeah, that was the last one, fuck that,” Jisoo said as he straightened up and rubbed at his watering eyes.

Hoseok didn’t reply so Jisoo stopped rubbing his eyes to look at him. He saw that Hoseok had his eyes closed and was swaying slowly to a song with an easy smile on his face. Jisoo laughed catching Hoseok’s attention.

“I love this song,” Hoseok said.

“Then go dance to it,” Jisoo replied.

“By myself?”

“Weren’t you dancing by yourself this whole time?”

“Yeah, but…”

“But…?”

“Now I don’t have to,” Hoseok grinned as he grabbed Jisoo’s hand and pulled him towards the dance floor.

Jisoo would have yanked his hand away and walked back to the bar, he hated dancing. But seeing Hoseok’s smile that seemed to make the dark club so bright made him want to stay as close to Hoseok as possible. The people seemed to move to allow Hoseok and Jisoo space because Jisoo didn’t feel any elbows poking him or backs pushed against him. Or, maybe, people were pushing against him but he was too entranced by Hoseok to notice.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was Hoseok, but Jisoo found himself dancing. Even if it was terribly, he was dancing, nonetheless, something he _never did_. At first, it was just a slight swaying of the hips and few steps away from Hoseok. Then it became goofy side-to-side oscillations when Hoseok wrapped his arms around Jisoo’s neck, smiling even wider. Jisoo wondered how one man could contain so much brightness in such a simple act such as smiling.                                 

Now that they were standing this close to each other, Jisoo saw that he was more than a head taller than Hoseok. He looked down at Hoseok to see that he was already watching him.

“What?” Jisoo laughed.

“You’re actually really good looking,” Hoseok giggled still maintaining eye contact.

“Actually, that strong ass alcohol makes me seem good looking. I’m actually a troll in real life,”

“Drinking the alcohol made you sexy? I wonder how I look,” Hoseok said as he probed his face. Jisoo burst out in laughter.

“No! Drinking the alcohol made you see me as sexy,”

“Oh…oohh!” Hoseok laughed, “I guess I’m drunker than I thought,”

“Wow, such a lightweight,” Jisoo jokingly mocked.

“I never said I wasn’t,” Hoseok beamed as he laid his head on Jisoo’s shoulder, “Drinking makes my head heavy,” he mumbled. Jisoo’s natural reaction to this was to bring his hand to Hoseok’s head and run his fingers through his hair.

Jisoo didn’t know where this affection came from since he’s never witnessed such behavior first hand. His only example of expressing love was to ignore, curse at, and hit your partner, something his father did well. Was it from the movies he watched? Or the random couples on the street who held each other’s hand and hugged each other whenever they could? Jisoo didn’t know, but what he did know was that he liked Hoseok. Sure, he’d only been talking to him for less than an hour but he was sure that he liked him. _For one, I’m not repulsed when he touches me like I am with everyone else. Two, he made me laugh. And three, he got me to dance. I’m a different person with him. I want him. I want him now. And I will get him because I get everything I want._

Suddenly, Hoseok shot his head up and looked at Jisoo.

“I’m starving,”

Jisoo was stunned by the random declaration and couldn’t help but laugh. Hoseok stared at Jisoo for a second before laughing as well.

“What are you in the mood for? Steak? Italian? Seafood--“

“Burgers,” Hoseok interrupted. He laughed when Jisoo only looked at him in disappointment before taking his hand and pulling him towards the front entrance of the club.

“I know this great burger place,” Hoseok continued, “that’s open till way late. I think if we bolt we can make it.” Jisoo didn’t reply, allowing himself to be dragged out of the club.

The burger joint was closer to the club than Jisoo expected and, even more surprising, it was open and packed with people. Hoseok danced in place unable to contain his excitement before racing towards the diner. Jisoo strolled leisurely behind. When he got in, Hoseok was already ordering. He stepped beside him and stared at the menu trying to remember the last time he had eaten a burger. It took Jisoo a moment to realize that he had never actually eaten a burger before. His father’s extravagance displayed itself in the clothes that he wore, the house that he built, the cars that he, well his chauffeur, drove, and, most importantly, the food that he ate. Jisoo was used to only the most expensive cuts of steak and the rarest, and sometimes most poisonous, strains of seafood. So, when Jisoo encountered the menu of all sorts of burgers, grilled versus stove cooked, bacon or no bacon, several varieties of cheeses, he was overwhelmed.

“You’ve never had a burger before, either?” Hoseok joked, lightly jabbing Jisoo’s side to grab his attention. When Jisoo just looked at him in silence, Hoseok’s eyes widened before he turned back to the person behind the register and asked to double his order.

“That’ll be 17.76,” the cashier said. Hoseok nodded and made to reach in his back pocket to grab his wallet before Jisoo grabbed his hand.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jisoo asked.

“Uh…Paying?” Hoseok answered as he took his wallet out anyway and was flipping through bills to pay the total. Before he could pull out his twenty-dollar bill, Jisoo had slipped the cashier his credit card. Technically it was the company’s card since all the money he had was his father’s. This didn’t perturb him since he used that card to buy literally anything he wanted, including these burgers.

Hoseok eyed the black card that had a streak of silver across it. Jisoo thought he was going to say something about it since that’s what everyone else did. He was expecting the usual, “oh, so you’re rich?” or “what do you do?” Instead, Hoseok just smiled at Jisoo, not a different smile or a smile that had any dark undertones, just his usual bright smile. Jisoo was a little confused by this. _Does he not find that impressive? Is he rich, too?_

The cashier handed Jisoo his card and receipt and Hoseok led the way to a booth far away from the rest of the people in the restaurant. It was next to the window so the men had a pleasant view of the street that was illuminated yellow-gold by the plethora of street lights lining the sidewalk.

Jisoo sat across from Hoseok and just admired him now that he had decent lighting. His hair was a medium brown that complemented his golden tan skin perfectly. His eyes were dark but shiny and they squinted when he smiled and laughed. His straight white teeth behind his soft pink lips that hypnotized Jisoo whenever they moved to form words. Jisoo noticed the tiny birthmark on Hoseok’s lip that could only be seen if you paid attention. Hoseok moved his hand to rest his chin on his palm and Jisoo took the opportunity to admire his hands. His fingers were long and his nails blunt but his skin looked so soft. The sound of beef sizzling on the stove from the kitchen caused Hoseok’s stomach to growl and his mouth to water. He swallowed loudly, drawing Jisoo’s attention to his neck and Adam’s apple. It was probably too soon, but Jisoo was imagining running his tongue from Hoseok’s collarbone, up his neck, over his Adam’s apple, nibbling his chin and lips, then finally intertwining their tongues in a passionate and erotic kiss. Jisoo traced this trail with his eyes, stopping to stare at Hoseok’s lips. They twitched into a smile and Jisoo blinked before having to drag his eyes to Hoseok’s who stared back at him.

Though his smile was innocent, his eyes were not. The usual bright shine of his eyes was replaced with a glimmer of mischief and…danger, maybe? Jisoo was surprised that his ball of sunshine could also induce in him a flood of sexual desire and frustration that he hadn’t had for anyone ever.

“Are you single, Hoseok?” Jisoo cut straight to the point. He was a straight forward guy. He felt courageous for some reason.

Hoseok’s smile melted into a slight frown which depleted any form of courage Jisoo had.

“Technically, yes,” Hoseok mumbled. Jisoo was going to say something when a male waiter came with a tray with two chocolate milkshakes with red and white striped straws sticking out. He placed them on the table and Hoseok wasted no time in saying his thanks and busying himself with trying to suck the thick milkshake through the thin straw.

If it were anyone else, Jisoo would have prodded Hoseok for an answer. _Technically? So, officially he was single. But what was the “technically?” Was he in a friends with benefits situation? Did he just end a committed relationship and is not trying to jump back in too soon? Or did he…love someone else?_  

Jisoo was lost in his thoughts, playing with the straw in the milkshake when he heard Hoseok scoff.

“Didn’t your mother tell you not to play with your food? Drink it, I swear it’s the best fucking milkshake you’ll ever have,” Hoseok said smiling his beautiful smile again.

It made Jisoo feel better seeing Hoseok smile so he took the straw into his mouth attempting to suck the milkshake through but not being able to. He looked up at Hoseok with a confused expression only to see a silver spoon inches away from his face being held up by Hoseok’s long fingers. He smiled his gratitude before taking the spoon and taking a mouthful of the milkshake. It was good, but he wasn’t sure if it was the best since he didn’t really drink enough milkshakes to compare it.

Hoseok was quiet as he took spoonful after spoonful of milkshake. Jisoo worried that he would get a brain freeze by how fast he was eating so he spoke up to voice his concern.

“Slow down before you get a— “Jisoo abruptly stopped when Hoseok smacked his palm against his forehead and screeched with bared teeth.

“Brain freeze!” Hoseok yelped.

Jisoo laughed but brought his hands out to massage Hoseok’s temples with the pads of his hands. He didn’t think it would help with anything, he just wanted an excuse to touch the other man. Hoseok leaned his head into Jisoo’s touch. He loved having his head and scalp massaged so he naturally relaxed into the touch. Jisoo almost froze in shock at this but he continued anyway finding that, for the first time, he was the one giving the massage rather than receiving it. _There have been a lot of first times for me apparently_ , he thought.

The food came not long after and Jisoo was overwhelmed by the amount of food and grease in front of him. Jisoo didn’t have time to ask what it was Hoseok had ordered for him before the other boy started eating. Jisoo decided to try anyway.

“Uh…what is this?” Jisoo asked as he spun the plate to see all sides of the large burger and generous heap of fries on the side.

Hoseok answered him but Jisoo couldn’t understand what the hell he said what with seemingly half the burger in his mouth as he tried to eat and speak at the same time. _I should be disgusted by this, I really should. But why is everything he does so damn cute?!_

“I’m gonna go grab some napkins before you make a mess,” Jisoo laughed as he got up to go to the counter.

He was just on his way back to the booth and Jisoo was smiling but it slowly died down as he watched Hoseok stop chewing as his face fell to a look of disbelief and…heartbreak? Hoseok was focused on something behind Jisoo’s shoulder. Jisoo looked back and saw nothing out of the ordinary, just a bunch of people, some on dates, hanging out and eating. Jisoo turned back around to look at Hoseok only to see that he was looking down. His mouth wasn’t full anymore, but he made no attempt to speak. Jisoo sped up to get to Hoseok to figure out what was wrong before he was startled by someone from behind him.

“Hoseok?”

Jisoo turned around to see a boy walking towards Hoseok with a girl linked to his arm. The boy was dressed nicely with a white and black striped shirt under a jean jacket and black jeans while the girl was dressed, barely, in a white t-shirt dress. The boy was smiling widely, sort of boxy, as he sped up in their direction.

Jisoo focused on Hoseok only to find that his once happy friend was morbid and shrunken. Literally. Hoseok had scooted down in the booth seat as if he would rather be ten feet underground than in this diner right now. Jisoo stopped to watch as he wanted to see what exactly was the relationship between Hoseok and these other two people.

The boy and girl got to the booth and the boy started talking to Hoseok. Hoseok smiled but it didn’t meet his eyes. When the boy wrapped his arm around the girl’s waist, Hoseok’s eyes focused on the girl’s hand before his face froze into a morose glare.

Suddenly, it all clicked for Jisoo. Hoseok was “technically” single, but he was deeply in love with either the boy or girl. Jisoo still didn’t know yet so he started walking back towards the booth.

The boy was still talking but Hoseok seemed zoned out until he saw Jisoo coming back. His face relaxed in relief and Jisoo felt giddy that his presence was welcomed for once.

“Jisoo!” Hoseok called out even when Jisoo wasn’t at the booth yet.

Jisoo smiled before picking up the pace. When he reached the booth, he nodded at the boy and girl.

“Jisoo,” Hoseok continued, “this is my friend, Taehyung, and his um…friend,” Hoseok finished lamely. The girl rolled her eyes before pressing herself to Taehyung’s side, wanting very badly to be somewhere else.

 _Ahh,_ Jisoo thought, _so he’s in love with the boy. Taehyung, huh? In terms of looks, he’s definitely competition, but I’m pretty sure I can beat him in everything else._

“Jisoo,” Taehyung bellowed, “never heard of you! But it’s nice to meet you. How do you know Hoseok?”

Jisoo hesitated, thrown off by Taehyung’s friendly banter. His hesitation wasn’t noticed, however when the girl interrupted.

“Babe,” she mewled, “can we go find a seat now? You know…not here?”

_Damn she was rude. But I agree with her. Leave. Now. Away from MY Hoseok._

Jisoo looked at Hoseok to see that he looked completely miserable. His attention shifted back to Taehyung when he spoke.

“Alright, alright. Go find a seat, hun, I’ll be there soon.” Taehyung said as he kissed and playfully nibbled at the girl’s ear before she walked away, not without a smack to the butt by him, of course. _Yup, just rub the salt into Hoseok’s wound._

“Jeez,” Taehyung scoffed, “spoiled girlfriends are the worst. And she’s not even my girlfriend,” Taehyung laughed at himself.

“Uhh…” Hoseok tried to speak but was apparently still shell shocked by the couple’s obnoxious PDA.

“You have something to say, Hoseokie?” Taehyung patronized.

“What do you mean she’s not your girlfriend?”

“I mean,” Taehyung said as he ruffled Hoseok’s hair, who shrunk back immediately, “after tonight, I’m gonna completely forget about her. Ghost the hell outta her by morning, then I’m on to the next one.”

“But,” Hoseok mumbled, “you kissed her…”

“And?”

“And doesn’t that kiss mean anything?”

“Oh, right. I forgot who I was talking to for a second. Hoseokie the virgin, who can’t even get a girlfriend,” Taehyung laughed. It was an innocent laugh and an innocent joke. But to Hoseok it was a knife spiraled with barbed wire that just pushed itself deeper into his heart.

Jisoo couldn’t take it any longer himself and spoke up without thinking.

“That’s funny, babe. When were you gonna break up with me to go find this so-called girlfriend that you want so bad?”

The two pairs of eyes turned to Jisoo that were so wide Jisoo wondered whether it would give the two a headache. Yeah what he said was crazy as hell but he couldn’t take the look of physical and mental pain that Hoseok tried to, and very much failed at, hiding on his face.

“B-babe? B-break up?” Taehyung stuttered looking from Hoseok to Jisoo back to Hoseok. Hoseok looked even more lost but when he saw the even and calm look on Jisoo’s face, Hoseok’s face seemed to relax trusting Jisoo’s motives.

“Hoseok didn’t tell you yet, did he?” Jisoo sighed dramatically, “I keep telling him that secrets are bad but he never listens.”

“You guys are dating? Like boyfriend-boyfriend?”

“Yup,” Jisoo reached across the table to hold Hoseok’s hand. Jisoo squeezed Hoseok’s hand reassuringly and he rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb.

“Wow, I,” Taehyung began but was interrupted by a groan in the background.

“Tae, baby, I’ve been sitting here by myself for forever!” It was the girl.

“Okay, just wait a minute,” Taehyung called back.

“I’ve been waiting several minutes,” she fired back.

“Just wait a bit— “

“NO!”

“Holy shit, Lord give me strength” Taehyung mumbled under his breath, “Okay fine!” He called out to her before turning back to Jisoo and Hoseok. “I gotta go, obviously. But it was nice meeting you, Hoseok’s boyfriend.” Taehyung made to turn away before he added, “Oh, and, Hoseok, we are having a huge talk tomorrow.”

Jisoo and Hoseok watched Taehyung walk away in silence, Jisoo still holding Hoseok’s hand firmly. It was just so warm that he didn’t want to let go of it so soon.

“Uhm…Jisoo?” Hoseok quietly said.

“Hmm?” Jisoo said as he continued to watch Taehyung’s receding back.

“What the hell did you just do?”

“I have no fucking clue. But I don’t think I mind it.”

“Okay, but, I feel like we just created a bunch of new problems for ourselves,” Hoseok said as he gently pulled his hand out of the grip of Jisoo’s.

“Are you a cop?”

“What? No…”

“Then, trust me,” Jisoo said as he retook Hoseok’s hand, “this relationship is gonna be the most easy, problem free, natural relationship in the entirety of this God forsaken town.”

Hoseok hesitated.

“All you gotta do is trust me,” Jisoo smiled softly as he clenched on tighter to Hoseok’s hand.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry, I've been sitting on this one for a while now because I didn't know how to end it. But it's longer, so that should make up for it, I hope.  
> Also, I have a terrible habit of not proofreading anything I write, ever, so there are probably typos all up in this chapter hehe  
> I have midterms and papers this month so it will be super busy for me but I'll try my best to not wait too long to upload.  
> Anyways, leave Kudos and Comments if you like. And I'm always open to suggestions and questions.  
> Happy Reading!  
> With love,  
> abx


	6. Reflections

 

Taehyung awoke to what felt like millions of ants trailing his veins in his right arm. He groaned in discomfort as he opened his dazed eyes only to be greeted by the universe. Without the light pollution of his crowded town, he saw the golden stars at their fullest potential. They were brighter than he’d ever seen them and covered the entire sky. Which stars were planets? Which were suns that warmed their own planets? These questions reminded Taehyung of a simpler time. When all he had to worry about was if he had a doppelganger on another planet and whether they could ever travel through space to meet each other. Besides, who could be a better friend than yourself? Childish thoughts.

The memories never ambush Taehyung out of nowhere, there’s always a stimulus. A certain trigger that sends him travelling back in time. The universe that seemed to envelope Taehyung seemed to get closer and closer until only a meager fraction of the stars were now showing. He was twelve and it was July, the peak of the summer heat. He was laying on the roof of Hoseok’s house, his arms bent behind his head as he supported his neck. Hoseok was laying beside him in the same position, close enough that Taehyung could smell him. He had just taken a bath and he smelled like his mother’s sweet shampoo, a smell so intoxicating that Taehyung scooted even closer to Hoseok not caring how hot he was.

“Okay, but what if—“ Taehyung’s pre-pubescent voice rang out.

“There are no what-ifs. You die if you meet your doppelganger,” Hoseok’s voice was older, but higher than Taehyung’s. Something Taehyung never failed to mention.

“Even if—“

“Yup,”

“Are you sure cause—“

“I’m positive, Tae.” Hoseok shifted to lay on his side to face his friend. Taehyung turned around as well. They were close enough that if one of them scrunched up their face, their noses would touch.

“But why?” Taehyung whined pouting his lips. Taehyung flinched back when his pursed lips lightly swiped Hoseok’s upper lip, a touch so mild yet abrasive that he almost turned back to lay on his back. That thought left his mind when Hoseok stretched his lips in a close-lipped smile which brightened his eyes and made his tan skin seem to glow under the yellow-orange street lights.

“I don’t know, lil bro, that’s just how it is,”

Taehyung didn’t reply, just sighed defeatedly and inhaled more of Hoseok’s scent. He focused on Hoseok’s lips, not out of curiosity, just out of convenience due to their proximity.

After this summer, Taehyung would be seeing less of his friend, they will have less chances to meet and lay this close to each other. Hoseok was going into high school leaving Taehyung behind in the middle school they once shared. Will they ever see each other again? Will Hoseok make new friends and forget about his existence?

“Tae?” Hoseok whispered, confused by his bubbly friend’s mild demeanor. Taehyung hummed in response, keeping his eyes glued on Hoseok’s now slightly parted lips.

“What’s up, Tae?” Hoseok said more firmly, using his thumb and index finger to lift Taehyung’s chin so their eyes could meet.

“It’s nothing…”

“Nothing, my ass. You look like I just drank your last can of Coke,” Hoseok expected a laugh but all he got was a deeper frown set into his friend’s face. Taehyung’s long and unkempt black hair fell into his eyes as he dropped his head and eyes to look down at his and Hoseok’s bent knees.

Hoseok sighed, not being used to seeing Taehyung this down since his parents got a divorce. Hoseok’s heart ached when he recounted Taehyung crying into his chest and squeezing his abdomen with shaking arms and a bloodied lip leaving a trail of crimson running down his chin over a bruise that got more purple as Taehyung wept. When he calmed Taehyung down enough to lay him on his bed and ease him to sleep, Hoseok would take a wet towel and gently wipe away the blood and tears caked onto Taehyung’s youthful face juxtaposed by the aged, worried look he fell asleep in. Hoseok wondered what kind of dreams Taehyung would have that night.

Hoseok then went to the bathroom. He watched as Taehyung’s mottled mixture of salty tears and bitter blood as it swirled down into the sink as he held his t-shirt under the faucet of water

Hoseok stayed in the bathroom until the water from his shirt drained clear, hoping the stains would wash away along with the remnants of Taehyung’s misery. He didn’t, matter-of-fact, couldn’t sleep that night, wanting to protect Taehyung from any more pain.

Hoseok blinked as he felt Taehyung shift in front of him. He had his arm bent under his head, cushioning his head as a makeshift pillow. His head was lifted even more, bringing his hair down over his forehead covering both his eyes. Hoseok reached out and gently swept Taehyung’s hair out of his eyes brushing his fingertips against Taehyung’s forehead. It was pointless since Taehyung’s hair fell back over his eyes once Hoseok’s fingers moved away, but the subtle contact was enough to heighten Taehyung’s senses and bring his attention to Hoseok’s worried eyes.

Hoseok didn’t ask again, Taehyung just began to talk on his own.

“Will we still be friends when you leave for high school?” Taehyung felt childish for asking but he really had to know.

“What? Of course, we will. Why wouldn’t we?” Hoseok laughed at his friend’s question but his smile slowly faded as Taehyung’s face didn’t brighten.

“You never know. Anything can happen, especially with people. One minute they’re there, the next minute…” Taehyung trailed off biting his lip that began to tremble faintly.

“Tae…” Hoseok didn’t know what to say to his friend. He thought that by calling his name he could pull Taehyung out of whatever dark place his mind was taking him but he choked when he saw something shiny fall onto Taehyung’s arm and slowly crawl down the curve of his elbow. He was crying.

“Tae?” Hoseok’s voice was worried and baffled as Taehyung let out a choked sobbed, a vocal failed attempt at holding back the sobs that were threatening to wreak havoc on the still summer night. Yet, before either of them knew what was happening, Taehyung had curled himself into Hoseok’s chest clenching onto whatever his hands had contacted first, which happened to be Hoseok’s shirt.

“I just…I don’t want you to leave, too. Hoseok, don’t leave me, please?!” Taehyung’s voice was muffled against Hoseok’s chest but Hoseok heard his pleas loud and clear as if there were a megaphone held directly against his ear into which Taehyung screamed into.

Hoseok instantly held Taehyung against him, feeling his chest contract and expand as his sobs racked through his lungs. Hoseok stroked the back of Taehyung’s head as he let the boy cry, knowing he must have been holding his emotions in for a long time if he were crying this hard.

Taehyung didn’t let himself cry for long, his face warm from the humid air, fresh tears, and embarrassment. Hoseok broke the silence.

“I will never leave you. Alright? Tae, look at me,” Hoseok lifted Taehyung’s chin for the second time that night, “I will never let you go. Never.”

Hoseok’s imploring eyes met Taehyung’s wet ones and Taehyung felt his lower lip begin to tremble again this time out of embarrassment for crying in front of his friend. Taehyung’s eyes shifted to look at something over Hoseok’s head before Hoseok brought his hand up to caress Taehyung’s scalp.

“I will never let you go,” Hoseok repeated slower, “I promise.”

“P-promise?” Taehyung replied shakily with a cracked voice that didn’t signal puberty but rather a throat sore and dry from overuse.

“Yeah,” Hoseok gave Taehyung a reassuring smile as he continued his ministrations on Taehyung’s scalp, “So don’t cry anymore, okay?” Hoseok waited for Taehyung to nod before he pulled him closer and held him tightly and securely, “I don’t want you to cry ever again.”

“And what if I do?” The question was flat and probing.

“Then I’ll corny and kiss you tears away like they do in those sappy dramas,” Hoseok’s tone was soothing and playful. Hoseok was expecting laugh but Taehyung looked up at him instead. They stared at each other for a fleeting moment before the younger one spoke.

“You can do it now, if you want,” Taehyung said. Hoseok blinked not knowing whether Taehyung was joking or not. His slight hesitation was met with a deep frown by the younger boy before he brought his head back down. Hoseok didn’t like that frown that seemed to say everything and nothing at all. It was void of any affect yet it expressed tremendous sorrow. Hoseok would kiss all his tears, and the pain that came with them, away if he could, if Taehyung asked him to.

Hoseok looked at the crown of Taehyung’s head, a sea of black silk that moved even in the stagnant summer air. Before he could question what he was doing, he drew closer to the expanse of silk and grazed his lips against it, kissing Taehyung’s hair once, twice, before resting his chin gently on the spot he kissed.

Taehyung didn’t move, didn’t respond to the touch but he smiled. He felt safe for once. He closed his eyes.

A lousy groan roused Taehyung out of remembrance and back into the realm of consciousness. His arm was pulsing and he turned to see why only to find a moppy mess of dark hair attached to a heavy head splayed across his arm. The night’s events flashed through Taehyung’s head.

Hoseok and his boyfriend. Hoseok and his random boyfriend. Was he random? Taehyung didn’t recall any moment when Hoseok mentioned that he was talking to anyone. Yet there he was. There _they_ were.

The way Hoseok’s boyfriend looked at him, like he was intruding on something. Like no one, not even his friend that he has known most of his life, meant anything to Hoseok anymore. Taehyung didn’t notice he was gritting his teeth until he felt an ache in his jaw that slowly rose like fire to his temples.

Hoseok’s words rang through his head, “I will never let you go. I promise.” Those words that used to ring so loudly in Taehyung’s head when he felt the loneliest now seemed to be fading. Those words that used to breathe reassurance in Taehyung’s heart now clanged threatening in his gut.

The pain that perched on the crux of his elbow now bore into his shoulder. Taehyung grunted as he had to shift over on his side to pull his arm from the deadweight of this head, this unfamiliar head. The soft whine to his side brought back even more memories of the night.

He was with another girl, too. Her stared at the back of her head, what was her name? The guys in the neighborhood called her fire truck and it took Taehyung until tonight to figure out why. Her moans of pleasure sounded like the siren of a fire truck circling one block for twenty minutes with no break. Taehyung couldn’t even finish and just got her off before plopping down beside her on the bed.

Taehyung scoffed at his situation before laying back down on his back to, once again, lose himself in the millions of stars that held millions of memories and millions of moments of unrequited love.

Taehyung blinked a few times in bewilderment. The stars that used to glow bright and glowed now were dim and a sickly green. It took him a moment to realize that his universe of memories was just a ceiling plastered with glow-in-the-dark stickers in the shape of stars.

Taehyung sat up to get dressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seokjin stepped over yet another suited corpse laying in its own blood amongst the sea of others just like it. Face down, faceless. Seokjin paused and looked around him. Namjoon and Jinyoung were in the corner talking quietly to each other, Jinyoung occasionally checking his phone. Yoongi was off in another corner investigating the bullet shells and who were the actual dead bodies on the ground. Neither Namjoon nor Seokjin could handle staring at their lifeless faces long enough to determine their actual identities. Youngjae, the only survivor of this ambush was fixing his tie and using a handkerchief to wipe the splattered blood of his fallen comrades off his face. There was just something off about him. Seokjin had to force himself to stop staring at him.

Seokjin turns back to stare at the one spot of the dirt floor of the warehouse that wasn’t occupied by one of his deceased associates. He puts a foot out in front of him, the toe of his shoe on the ground and his heel raised, and swings it like a pendulum side-to-side, getting hypnotized by his own motion. He sighs, wondering how he got there. Not necessarily “there” as in the warehouse but “there” as in, here with this suit, this broken heart, homicidal thoughts, and dead comrades. He used to laugh all day and night long with his friends, talking about everything and nothing but, now, he couldn’t remember the last time he laughed an actual laugh. A laugh that make his abdominals ache, his face wet with happy tears. A laugh that got made fun of by Jungkook for sounding like a squeaky window wiper. His laughs were barren and his smiles void.

He wonders if his friends have noticed his change. They must have, he used to be the joker of the group. The oldest child. There to make them laugh when they were down. But now…

Seokjin didn’t let himself drift deeper into his gloomy thoughts, not wanting to feel more guilty for disappointing his family, his friends, himself.

Seokjin’s foot freezes as he feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns around to see Yoongi who says something to him but he doesn’t hear. He looks around the shorter male to see men dressed in black overalls. They were the cleaners, the ones who got rid of the bodies, to where, Seokjin never wanted to ask. He imagined there was a pit somewhere near the water where the cleaners threw the bodies into, never to be seen again. The thought of seeing Namjoon or Yoongi get thrown into his imaginary pit was enough to make Seokjin visibly shudder. Yoongi noticed and patted Seokjin’s shoulder, this time Seokjin heard what he said.

“Let’s get the hell outta here. They’ll take it from here.”

Seokjin just nodded, leading the way towards the opening of the warehouse where Namjoon, Jinyoung, and Youngjae were already standing outside of.  The chauffeurs of each parked car were standing in front of the back doors waiting for the orders to open them. Seokjin immediately walked towards Youngjae, the one who contacted Jinyoung about this whole mess.

“So, what happened?” It was a loaded question.

“It all happened so fast— “

“Not fast enough if you still were able to use that phone to chit-chat with Jinyoung while your partners were off dying, apparently,” Seokjin didn’t mean to come off so rude, he was just tired. Of what? Everything, really.

“Boss, I—“

“Did you use one of them as a shield or did you just play dead?”

“Play dead? W-what?”

“You don’t think it’s a little sketchy that you are the only one still standing while everyone, literally everyone, else is dead?!”

“Youngjae, it’s fine,” it was Namjoon who spoke up, “we’re all just a little shaken up right now. On high alert. Let’s just get back home, rest, talk about this tomorrow when our minds are clear.”

When no one responded, Namjoon turned to the chauffeur of the car he and Seokjin rode in. The chauffeur immediately opened the door, waiting for his passengers to enter. Namjoon waited for Seokjin to enter first, who hesitated for a while, staring at each man in turn. Jinyoung and Youngjae stared at the ground while Yoongi looked straight back at him. His eyes were concerned but his face straight, a juxtaposition that only Yoongi could hold.

Yoongi and Seokjin used to have conversations too serious to have with their younger friends who would cringe at even the slightest tone of sincerity. At that moment it was clear to anyone that Seokjin was angry, but only Yoongi knew that the source of this anger was pain and panic. Not even Namjoon could decipher the complexities of Seokjin, not without being told. Either way, Seokjin hated Yoongi’s probing, knowing eyes so he went into the waiting car and plopped into his seat, pasting himself to the inside of the door, trying to get as far from Namjoon as he could.

Namjoon spoke a few words to the men, which Seokjin did not hear or care to hear, before entering the car as well.

Namjoon did not even attempt to get Seokjin to speak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Jackson (Chicken) Wang:** _When can I see you again?_ [Sent 2:01 AM]

**Jim-Jim:** _Jeez, can I sleep first? Lol_     [Sent 2:01 AM]

**Jackson (Chicken) Wang:** _What’s this sleep you speak of?_ [Sent 2:02 AM]

**Jim-Jim:** _Something we both need. You more than me I assume_ [Sent 2:02 AM]

**Jackson (Chicken) Wang:** _Facts_

**Jackson (Chicken) Wang:** _But fine. I’ll talk to you after you sleep_ [Sent 2:03 AM]

**Jim-Jim:** _You have to sleep too!_ [Sent 2:04 AM]

**Jackson (Chicken) Wang:** _Of course_

**Jackson (Chicken) Wang:** _Night, babe_ [Sent 2:05 AM]

 

Jimin was going to respond but movement to the left of him caught his attention. He was walking back home but he assumed he was the only one outside that late at night, or early in the morning, which is why he walked in the street where the streetlights lit the asphalt in a summery orange glow. He looked up to see a figure standing in the shadows of the sidewalk, not moving just standing. It was staring at Jimin because Jimin could see the silhouette of the person’s nose indicating that, whoever this was, was staring at something ahead of him. Jimin tried to follow the person’s stare but there was nothing around them. Jimin decided to just keep moving, not wanting to grab the person’s attention. He brought his phone back up to reply to Jackson when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

“Jimin?”

Jimin whipped around, knowing the voice immediately, “Taehyung?”

The figure walked out of the shadows and revealed itself to, indeed, be Taehyung. He looked tired and the only reason for him to be out, by himself, this late was obvious to Jimin. He didn’t care to bring it up.

“How many times do we have to tell you to stay in the shadows when you’re out this late?” Taehyung chimed in his usual chirp and boxy grin.

“I don’t like being in the dark. I can’t see anything,”

“Who cares if you can’t see anything. The point is nobody should see you.”

“Nobody is out here anyway,”

“Still. Gotta be careful. No one knows what could happen, especially in this town,”

Jimin didn’t respond just hummed in agreement before continuing his walk back to his house.

“What are you doing out here, anyway? Hoseok’s house is back there,” Jimin said as he pointed to a house behind them.

“I know, I wasn’t going there,”

“Then where are you going?”

“To your place,” Taehyung responded as if this plan was agreed upon weeks ago.

“Why?” Jimin was taken aback, Taehyung hadn’t slept at his place in years, let alone stepped foot in his house.

“Don’t you miss our sleepovers?” Taehyung mocked a hurt frown.

“Uh…well, I guess,” Honestly, Jimin didn’t. But he didn’t want to tell his friend this. Jimin liked the sanctuary of his room, the only quiet place in his hectic life.

Jimin’s phone screen lit up again, another text from Jackson. He didn’t read the message, only the name. But the name was enough to make him smile.

“What you smiling at?” Taehyung asked as he reached for Jimin’s phone.

“Nothing!” Jimin said as he pulled his arm back to keep the phone out of Taehyung’s reach.

“Oh,” Taehyung said as his outstretched hand met air instead of Jimin’s phone, “Nah, it’s definitely something,”

“No, it’s not!” Jimin said as he quickened his pace to get away from his nosy friend.

Taehyung kept up however and brought his long arm around Jimin’s small waist to hold him still and take the phone. “Tell me what it is!”

“Ah! Kim Taehyung!” Jimin screamed as he squirmed in Taehyung’s grip trying to keep his phone out of reach.

“What could be so secret that you have to hide it like this? Oh my, Jimin, are you sending nudes?” Taehyung loosened his grip as the thought paralyzed him for a second. Jimin took the opportunity to wiggle out of Taehyung’s grasp and sprint in the direction to his house.

Jimin didn’t know quite why he was being so secretive with Taehyung, he just felt that it was in his best interest.

Taehyung ran after Jimin but they didn’t have to run for long since they were already so close to Jimin’s house already. Jimin stopped at his front door, panting.

“If you wanna sleep here tonight, you can’t ask about what’s on my phone,” Jimin paused as Taehyung mewled in protest, “I’m serious, Kim Taehyung. My phone, my business.”

“But that’s not fair!” Taehyung whined.

“My room, my rules,” Jimin chirped back, knowing he had cornered Taehyung.

Taehyung grumbled a lousy agreement and followed Jimin into his house and up the stairs to his room. Taehyung was too tired to continue fooling around with Jimin so he just plopped face down on the left side of the bed, knowing Jimin liked the right side. Jimin slid easily into the right side of the bed, laying on his back staring at the ceiling. He recounted the events of the night and his potential new friend, Jackson. Speaking of, he forgot to reply to his text.

**Jackson (Chicken) Wang:** _I don’t get a goodnight back? :( :(_ [Sent 2:09 AM]

Jimin smiled before tapping on his phone.

**Jim-Jim:** _lol Night_ [Sent 2:15 AM]

Jimin tucked his phone under his pillow and closed his eyes before he opened them quickly and pulled his phone out again.

**Jim-Jim:** _Babe_      [Sent 2:16 AM]

 

Jimin smiled and closed his eyes, again opening them to look at his friend. Taehyung was laying face down so there was no way he could be breathing well and, therefore, no way in hell he was sleeping at that moment. Jimin took the moment to study his friend before voicing his wild thoughts.

“Tae…?” When Jimin heard a muffled grunt, he continued, “why are you sleeping here instead of at Hoseok’s?”

Taehyung didn’t reply for a while. Twelve seconds, Jimin counted. He knew something must have happened. Between Taehyung and Hoseok, though? They’ve never fought a day in their life or, if they did, it was over something stupid and they got over it by the next hour. Maybe Hoseok wasn’t home? But even then, Taehyung would have been even happier to stay with just Hoseok’s mom, everyone knew he had a thing for her. What could it be? The reply Jimin got, however, sent his mind on a whirlwind of even more questions and confusion.

“My life, my business.” Jimin didn’t ask anything else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yoongi checked his phone for what felt like the twentieth time that night. He texted Jimin that he was coming back to the club an hour and a half ago but got o no reply. He wouldn’t have been anxious because it was a busy club, Jimin probably had no time to check his phone. The problem was that Jimin was nowhere to be found in the club. He asked around and Jackson told him that Jimin went back home.

“By himself?” Yoongi asked staring directly into Jackson’s eyes.

“Well…yeah…” Jackson said as he nervously scratched the back of his neck, avoiding Yoongi’s eyes.

“And you let him?”

“He seemed fine,”

“Of course,” Yoongi challenged.

“Oh!” Jackson exclaimed as he snapped his fingers and pulled his phone out, “he texted me ‘goodnight’ about an hour ago. Here,” he showed Yoongi his phone and, sure enough, Jimin had texted Jackson at 2:16 AM.

Yoongi blinked, “Babe?”

Jackson blinked, confused for a second, before he realized that Yoongi was talking about the texts, “Oh…Uhh. It’s just a j-joke we have…together?”

Yoongi just scoffed as he turned around to go to Jimin’s house. Babe? Really? Yoongi would have laughed out loud if he wasn’t so anxious about finding Jimin.

So there Yoongi was actually walking. Using his stick thin, pale legs to travel to Jimin’s house. He saw Jimin’s house in the distance, and the lights in his room were off. Either Jimin was sleeping, which Yoongi really hoped was the case, or he wasn’t there at all. Yoongi increased his speed.

No matter how hopeful Yoongi tried to be, he couldn’t help but run through every worst-case scenario in his head. He has seen way too much shit to not be at least a little realistic. One minute your friend is right next to you, the next he’s either in a ditch somewhere, floating in the river, or imprisoned in some broken down warehouse waiting to be sold to some lowlife monsters who prey on innocent kids. The image of Jimin naked, beaten, bloody, and tied in a dark warehouse calling for someone to help made Yoongi run the rest of the way to Jimin’s front door.

Yoongi got to the front door and was glad to see that it was locked. He lifted the flower pot that held stale dirt and a wilted flower that was so dead no one knew what flower it used to be. He found the spare key and put it through the key hole, opened the door, and sprinted up the stairs.

Yoongi didn’t notice how fast he dashed to Jimin’s room until he busted through the closed bedroom door and landed on the bed. He was so winded that he didn’t even notice he was laying on legs until they kicked up in shock.

“AH FUCK!”

“OW SHIT, WHAT THE FUCK, CALM DOWN!” Yoongi yelled as his eyes tried to adjust to the dark of the room and reached out to hold down the flailing legs.

“OW THAT’S MY DICK!” The voice was so deep and sudden that Yoongi flew back and landed with a thud on the floor.

“Tae?” Yoongi called from the floor recognizing the voice right away.

“Yeah, no shit. Who the fuck?” Yoongi heard the bed squeak and saw a head pop out from the bed, “Yoongi? What are you doing?”

Before Yoongi could respond another head popped out beside Taehyung’s.

“Is he drunk?” The voice was timid and tired but definitely Jimin’s.

“Jimin?” Yoongi called as he sat up rubbing his lower back.

“Yeah?”

Yoongi released a heavy sigh of relief before standing up, “What the fuck, Jimin. Why didn’t you answer any of my texts?”

“You texted me?” Jimin rolled back on his back to grab his phone and turned his screen on illuminating his face in a blue glow. Jimin’s face looked tired and disoriented and Yoongi almost felt bad for waking him up. Almost.

“Oh yeah,” Jimin continued, “And you called five times, wow. How did I miss that? Did something bad happen?” Jimin’s nonchalant reply pissed Yoongi off but he was more relieved that Jimin was alive and well than he was angry so the feeling passed.

Yoongi sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed, “No, I was just worried. It’s nothing now, go back to sleep.”

Taehyung giggled, “Is this the mythical Concerned Min Yoongi? Ah, I must have saved the world in my past life to be able to witness this.” Jimin laughed tiredly, too, as he lay back down next to Taehyung.

“What are _you_ doing here, Taehyung?” Yoongi tried to change the topic.

“Oh, you know, just bonding with our little Jiminie—“

“Is this the majestic Bullshitter Kim Taehyung in all his glory?” Yoongi mocked as he, too, lay on the bed in between Jimin and Taehyung. Both boys grunted in protest to the cramped position and Yoongi smiled at their discomfort.

“Whatever…” Taehyung grumbled as Jimin laughed out loud.

“I couldn’t get a straight answer out of him, either,” Jimin offered as he flapped his limbs around trying to get comfortable with the meager space he had.

Yoongi stayed quiet knowing that the only reason Taehyung would sleep anywhere that wasn’t Hoseok’s house was because something had happened between them and even the presence of Hoseok’s mom would not be able to ease the tension. There was a trick that Yoongi always used to pry information out of Taehyung and it worked every time.

“Hmm…I saw Hoseok tonight—“ Yoongi began but was interrupted, expectedly, by Taehyung.

“Yeah? And you saw who he was with right? Fuckin’ mess,” Yoongi expected a response, but not this. Hoseok was with someone? Even Jimin stopped moving around to listen to what Taehyung was saying.

“I mean…” Yoongi hesitated, trying to come up with the next trap, “Hoseok seemed pretty…happy?”

Taehyung scoffed in disgust, “Happy? More like horny? They were giving each other sex eyes right in my fucking face like I’m blind or some shit. Like, okay, I get it, that motherfucker’s your boyfriend but shit!”

“BOYFRIEND?!”

Yoongi’s eyes opened so wide he swore his eyebrows touched his hairline. Jimin was no less shocked as he sat straight up in the bed forgetting how little space he had and ended up with his legs on top of Yoongi’s torso.

“Uh, yeah. Isn’t that who you’re talking about?” Taehyung asked Yoongi slowly.

“Hoseok has a boyfriend?” Yoongi deadpanned.

“Hoseok has a boyfriend?” Jimin gasped after.

“Hoseok has a boyfriend.” Taehyung announced.

“Are you sure?” Yoongi asked, not even caring that Jimin’s legs were compressing him.

“Are you sure?” Jimin echoed.

“I’m sure.” Taehyung replied, a little more annoyed.

“Since when?” Yoongi questioned with a voice that was higher than usual.

“Since when?” Jimin asked incredulously.

“Since—I don’t fuckin’ know!” Taehyung bellowed.

“Are you sure?” Yoongi repeated unsure of what else to say.

“Listen, motherfucker—“ Taehyung started but was interrupted by Yoongi pushed off the bed causing Jimin to be catapulted off the bed as well.

“I gotta go,” Yoongi said as he stormed out of the room and through the front door before Jimin could get back on the bed.

“Where’s he going?” Jimin said as he rubbed his tailbone.

Taehyung didn’t answer, he knew exactly where Yoongi was going. He just watched Yoongi leave in silence. Even when Jimin started snoring softly, Taehyung just watched.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hoseok was laying in bed with his eyes close. Not necessarily trying to fall asleep, just laying there. He was lost in his thoughts, not recounting any of the events of the day, but following where his mind took him. He was content, so content, in fact, that he felt like he was swaying. He was moving in waves, or rather, on waves. Just following the tide of a gentle river. The air around him was fresh and his limbs were spread out comfortably on his oversized raft.

Hoseok hadn’t felt this relaxed in years, though he didn’t know why he was so calm at that moment but this was a doubt he did not want to linger on. Around him, the rustling of trees and the chirping of birds began to surround him and, though he was alone, he felt protected. No harm can come to him in his oasis. Hoseok subdued himself into his thoughts once again not blocking the tranquil sounds of nature around him but letting them flow around him. He would stay like this forever if he could.

Hoseok’s attention was roused back to his surroundings when the rustling of the trees became louder and more grating, the tweets of the birds more screeching. Hoseok’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and his mouth frowned in dissatisfaction. The sounds became more sinister and louder, the chirping of the birds now sounding like electric drills burrowing into hard metal, the trees themselves sounding like a raucous chorus of revving chainsaws. Hoseok wanted to cover his ears but he couldn’t move his arms. He couldn’t move anything. But he could open his eyes.

He really wished he hadn’t opened his eyes because, when he did, all he saw was a sky washed with a deathly black, a piercing white and a malevolent crimson. Hoseok wanted so badly to close his eyes again, shield himself from the horrendous, foreboding situation that he was in but he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t hide. He opened his eyes and he was forced to see everything.

The world around him was spine-chilling but it juxtaposed the calm almost effortless way the waves of the river kept moving forward. The waves remained gentle, allowing Hoseok to continue this bloodcurdling path. Hoseok tried to convince himself to calm down but the foreboding sky and roaring environment made his heart beat too fast. So fast that it hurt his ribcage. His heart seemed to be beating against his lungs as well because they hurt, too, making it extremely difficult to breathe. Hoseok felt like there was a hand squeezing out all the oxygen from his lungs that he was trying so hard to put in.

The sound of a shower of thumbtacks falling to a glass floor endlessly pushed their way into Hoseok’s eardrums. The sound only got louder as Hoseok kept moving forward. Hoseok didn’t even have time to process what the sound could be before the water that was carrying him forward was no longer beneath him. He was suddenly plummeting down the shower of thumbtacks that were actually thumbtacks, little daggers carving Hoseok’s flawless skin with slash marks here and there as he fell. Hoseok’s organs felt like they were detached from his body, there and not there at the same time. He couldn’t even feel his heart’s incessant beating anymore; the expansion of his lungs was scarily absent. Hoseok couldn’t scream, curl into a ball, squeeze his eyes shut. All he could do was watch. And cry. His tears fell, his face and clothes saturated with salty tears that wouldn’t stop falling.

Hoseok finally landed at the bottom of the merciless fall only to continue sinking into the water rather than floating on top. He saw the sky get further away as he drowned in a thick, dark liquid. The further he went, the darker it became, but it seemed so familiar. Hoseok’s chest hurt, he was suffocating. He felt his heart beat again but it was slower, slower, slower. Then gone. Everything was dark, he couldn’t feel himself. He was alone and, for the first time, he hated it. He needed someone, anyone. He knew he couldn’t move his mouth but he tried calling out anyway.

His mouth was moving, though. He could feel it. But he couldn’t hear anything. He screamed. Nothing. Was he losing his mind now, too? Was he so useless and pathetic that he couldn’t run, hide, nor scream to save himself? He felt so small, so worthless. He just wanted to go back, he hated this. He hated not being with the ones he loved, even in this hell, he wouldn’t be so scared if he could hide in the arms of someone who loved him. Was he being punished? Warned? What did he do? What did he get himself into?

“I just…I just want to go home…please,” was this his voice? It sounded so small, so weak. He felt embarrassed but he finally said something, it was better than nothing.

“P-please…please. Please!” He couldn’t tell if he was getting louder because his ears felt blocked. Everything; People, sounds, happiness, was so far away.

“Hoseok,” was this voice his? He couldn’t tell, everything was so hazy and distant. “Hoseok!”

Who was calling for him? Why were they calling for him? Were they here, too? Hoseok couldn’t process anything before everything started shaking. Even in the pitch blackness where he was stuck he could see the erratic movement going on around him. The voice kept calling out to him, like some incessant echo that remained hidden. It was too much, he felt sick, he just wanted everything to stop. Just stop fucking moving!

The motion was too strong and eventually threw him. He was catapulted but he felt like he was falling again. But he knew that, this time, if he fell he would not be able to get back up. He tried to move his arms to grab something, anything, but he couldn’t feel anything. He couldn’t feel his heart beat, hear his voice, or taste the tears that streaked his face anymore. He felt hopeless, why should he keep fighting when he couldn’t? What was the point? What was the fucking point to any of this? Hoseok didn’t know if the voice was still calling out to him or if it was all in his head, but he didn’t care, he just wanted it to shut up.

Hoseok couldn’t see it, but he could feel himself approaching the solid ground that would end his suffering. He waited for it. There was nothing else he could do. Even if he survived, he would be stuck in that dark hellhole, he didn’t care anymore.

But he couldn’t stop fighting. His situation was shit at that moment but he still wanted to live. Even if he would spend the rest of his days recounting old memories, he would be fine with that because they were his. That voice calling out to him was proof that he meant something, that name was _his_ and, goddamn it, if that’s the only thing he would hear for the rest of his life, then so be it.

Hoseok reached out and tried to grab at anything, stop himself from splattering on the ground. He gritted his teeth and reached, reached as far as his joints would let him. Then he grabbed onto something. He actually felt something for once and it was smooth and hard and so welcoming. He tightened his grasp on the object but screamed and let go when it spoke to him.

“Ow! Motherfucker, open your eyes!”

Suddenly everything wasn’t so loud and Hoseok didn’t feel so alone and detached anymore. He felt in control of his body again, he felt his heart beating rapidly in his ears, he felt alive again.

“There you go,” a familiar voice cooed, “calm down now for God’s sake.”

Hoseok’s slowly peeled open his eyes, hesitant about what he would see. The first thing he saw was a pale-yellow orb right on top of him. He would have jumped in fright if that particular shade of yellow wasn’t so familiar.

“Yoongi?” Hoseok’s voice was hoarse and he wasn’t used to it anymore.

“Yeah,” Yoongi quickly supported Hoseok’s back as he sat up dazedly, “It’s alright, it was a night terror. You’re fine now.” Yoongi offered a small smile letting Hoseok know that he, indeed, was safe.

Hoseok nodded trying to slow his rapid breathing down. It had been a while since he’d experienced a night terror. He had had them throughout his late teen years but he hadn’t had one in a while. What had set them off again? Was it stress? Did he really have anything to be stressed about lately? Hoseok held his head in his hands trying to soothe the ache in his temples.

“Are you okay?” Yoongi asked as he rubbed Hoseok’s back, mostly to soothe his friend but also to soothe himself. He was nervous, to say the least. Usually it was Taehyung who would help Hoseok after he woke up from a night terror so Yoongi really didn’t know what to do.

“Y-yeah,” Hoseok said sounding very close to crying. Now Yoongi was really freaking out internally. What should he say?

“Do…Do you remember anything?” Should he have asked that? Shit, he was clueless.

“No,” Hoseok shook his head but quickly regretted it when the motion panged his flaring temples and made him nauseous, “Yoongi?” Hoseok looked up at Yoongi.

“Y-yeah?” Yoongi’s eyes were wide as he looked back at Hoseok’s usually bright eyes now dimmed and pained. Yoongi didn’t like that at all, he wanted him to be happy again. He would do anything to make Hoseok smile again.

“Can you,” Hoseok swallowed air into his chapped throat, “Can you stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

Yoongi released the breath he didn’t know he was holding before replying, “Of course.”

Yoongi just assumed that Hoseok meant Yoongi stay in the room with him for the night and Yoongi began to sit on the floor next to Hoseok’s bed preparing to lay there. He stopped when he saw Hoseok slide over onto the opposite side of the bed, pulling the covers down to allow Yoongi to slip in. Yoongi hesitated for a moment realizing that this was the first time he would actually sleep next to Hoseok like this. He would be lying if he said his stomach didn’t suddenly fill with butterflies at that moment.

Yoongi cleared his throat anyway and got into the bed next to Hoseok. Hoseok immediately pressed his body against Yoongi’s and snuggled his head in the space between Yoongi’s neck and shoulder. Yoongi tried not to visibly flinch but he couldn’t stop his body from tensing at the sudden contact. He felt the tight grip that Hoseok had on his shirt and he felt sorry for his friend. Even though he knew it was stupid, he felt sorry that he couldn’t protect Hoseok from his night terrors. He put his hand on top of Hoseok’s and gently stroked it with his thumb coaxing Hoseok to sleep, hoping his presence would keep the night terrors away for this night, at least.

It wasn’t long after that Yoongi felt Hoseok’s chest rising and falling deeply against him. The silence allowed all the night’s events to flood into Yoongi’s head, souring his mood immediately.

The compromised trade deal was the beginning, Yoongi knew that was going cause a lot of physical fatigue later on. Then the news about Hoseok’s boyfriend. Was it true? But it was also true that Hoseok and Yoongi had a moment, right? Unless that was a dream, too. Yoongi completely forgot why he stormed out of Jimin’s house to go to Hoseok. He wanted to confront him. He was going to yell, scream. _How could you do this to me? Didn’t we kiss? Did that kiss mean nothing? Do I mean nothing?_

Yoongi was ashamed of himself. He didn’t get into relationships for this very reason. He knew himself and he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle someone who he had invested so much of his weak heart and meager energy into leaving him. He forced himself to snap out of whatever tantrum he was throwing internally and tried to sleep, knowing he would probably not get more than an hour or two no matter how hard he tried.

Yoongi almost jumped out of the bed when another thought hit him. He had texted Hoseok a little after leaving him at the club. Shit, the embarrassment he would feel if Hoseok ever read it would literally kill him. He lifted his head to look around trying his best to find the small black phone hidden in the dark room. He strained his neck trying not to move too much and wake Hoseok up. He finally saw the phone resting on the nightstand directly next to him. He hurriedly snatched the phone off the nightstand and flinched when the blinding blue light hit his eyes. He blinked a few times to get his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the phone before going to Hoseok’s text message menu. Yoongi still found it funny how outdated Hoseok’s phone was, but the way Hoseok lost his phones on a daily basis, it was a smart choice.

Hoseok had three unread messages, all three from numbers he recognized. The first was from Mark.

**Markie Mark:** _I still have your clothes you know. It’s fine if you don’t want them_

_I’ll just let Bam Bam wear them lol_ [Sent 1:03 AM]

Yoongi furrowed his eyebrows at this before remembering Hoseok’s nude run through the town the other morning. He smiled to himself before looking at the other message.

He had texted Hoseok and just seeing the words displayed out in front of him almost made him shrivel in shame.

**Yoongs:** _I’m not really into all that sappy shit but tonight was special_

**** _It doesn’t have to end if you don’t want it to._

_At least I don’t._

_Want it to end, I mean._

_I like you Jung Hoseok._ [Sent 1:15 AM]

 

Yoongi had to pause and bite the knuckle of his index finger in order to keep from screaming in frustration and awkwardness. He quickly deleted the message, not without a final despairing look at Hoseok who still lay still in his arms.

Yoongi moved on to the last text, hoping he had misread the number in his frantic state. Yoongi was petrified when he realized that he had read the number correctly. It was an unsaved number in Hoseok’s phone but it was a number that will forever be etched into Yoongi’s memory.

**010-528-9987:** _It’s Jisoo. I took your number while you were in the bathroom_

_Hope you don’t mind :) anyway you should save this number_

_Since I’m your boyfriend now or whatever_ [Sent 1:45 AM]

Was Yoongi reading that right? Jisoo, as in Kim Jisoo of Agma, was Hoseok’s boyfriend? If Yoongi were a heartless bastard he would have slapped Hoseok awake and demanded an explanation. His head was spinning. The consequences of Hoseok actually dating Kim Jisoo were too much. Seokjin was already planning an all-out war with Agma and to find out that Hoseok would be caught in the middle of it, shit, Yoongi was lost for words. Even though he had to stay still to not wake up Hoseok, he wouldn’t be able to move anyways. He didn’t know how to react, should he tell someone? He couldn’t tell Seokjin, he was too unpredictable and even worse when stressed. Yoongi felt that he could trust Namjoon with this information but what would he do? Convince Hoseok to break up with Jisoo due to “reasons that can’t be explained?” Hoseok was nice but he wasn’t a pushover. If he was into Jisoo like Taehyung said he was, Hoseok would not listen to what anyone had to say about his relationship. This was bad, this was very bad.

_Shit,_ Yoongi groaned in his head, _Shit._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...yeah! Finals are killing me which is why I haven't been able to update recently.  
> I want to get the plot moving a bit faster so if you're confused about anything right now message me so I can fill you in because it's only going to get more crazy as we continue!  
> This chapter was supposed to build onto and create new relationships based on lots of memories (hence the title)  
> It was supposed to be a filler but then I got bored and just wanted to get the plot moving so that's where my head is at the moment.  
> Next chapter I need drama, guns, fights,slaps, screams lol.....basically release all my irl frustrations onto my characters  
> Ugh! My head hurts now lol I need to chill hahaha  
> Leave Kudos and Comments!!!!!!  
> Love,  
> abx


	7. Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically an amalgamation of all my stress and anger and frustration from the past few weeks so it's pretty intense.  
> This chapter is the beginning (thus the title) of all the shit that I wanna start!  
> Happy reading and happy BTS Festa Week!  
> Kudos and Comments are much appreciated, my lovelies!  
> abx

An incessant vibration roused Hoseok out of his deep sleep. It took him a moment to understand the who, what, where, when, why, and how of his situation but, when he did, he remembered how he could only go back to sleep by cuddling up to Yoongi. He looked left and right, he was still dazed so he even looked up and down, before realizing that Yoongi was nowhere to be found.

Hoseok was so busy looking for Yoongi that he didn’t hear the annoying buzzing of his phone for a few seconds. Now he was busy looking for his phone and didn’t even look to see who was calling before opening it and putting it to his ear.

“H-hello?”

“Damn, were you still sleeping? This late?” said a deep cheerful voice.

“Who…?”

“Wow, you don’t even recognize your own boyfriend’s voice? I’m actually hurt,”

“Ah! Jisoo?” Hoseok knew that Jisoo wouldn’t be able to see him but he still wiped at his eyes to remove the residue in his eyes.

“Obviously,” Jisoo’s laugh sounded through the phone into Hoseok’s fully awakened ears, “but since you took so long to pick up your phone you only have about…uh, 5 minutes to get ready.”

“Ready for what?” Hoseok said as he planted his feet on the floor in preparation for whatever Jisoo had planned.

“For our date, of course!” Jisoo said.

“Date? Like, now? You remember where I live? It was so dark, I’m surprised you still remember the way,”

“Hmm, 4 minutes now. You sure you wanna ask more questions?”

“Shit,” Hoseok said as he threw his phone down and dashed to the bathroom. He was actually excited for something, he felt like a giddy school girl and his heart was doing backflips while his stomach was doing somersaults.

Hoseok knew he only had four minutes but he couldn’t leave the house without taking a shower, and a good shower at that since his nightmare had drenched his body in a cold sweat. He could’ve sworn that he didn’t take more than five minutes and, when he dashed out of the bathroom towards his room, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a familiar tall figure dressed to the nines in designer clothing and sweet cologne that danced in Hoseok’s nostrils.

“Oh, sweetie,” Hoseok’s mother called from next to Jisoo in the living room, “you never told me you had a boyfriend!” Hoseok looked between his mother’s wide and curious eyes and Jisoo’s squinted smiley ones.

“B-boyfriend?” Hoseok started meekly, “Oh! Yeah, right. Sorry bout that, Mom, must’ve slipped my mind…”

Hoseok couldn’t have felt more awkward, his whole upper body was probably blushing at that point. To be standing naked with only a towel covering himself in front of this man. And, wow, this man. Hoseok must’ve really been out of it to have overlooked just how incredibly handsome Jisoo is. And his clothes only made him more handsome as his dress shirt was tight around his biceps and broad shoulders and his jeans accentuated his strong thighs. Those thighs. Hoseok had to force his eyes up to stop staring at Jisoo’s body only to see that Jisoo was doing the same to him. Hoseok wondered why, though. Although, he had a very toned body, compared to Jisoo, Hoseok was a walking stick figure.

Hoseok’s heart and stomach began their gymnastics once again as he saw Jisoo’s eyes glide over his body, with an appreciative but predatory way. Hoseok could just feel the stirring in his solar plexus.

“Well, hurry up and get dressed. We can’t be late,” Jisoo urged after clearing his throat and smiling innocently at his mother as if he wasn’t just eye-fucking her son.

“Ooh, where are you two headed? Hoseok’s mother asked, curiosity overflowing.

Jisoo giggled, though it seemed so manly when he did it, “It’s a surprise,”

“Can I get just a hint for where we’re going? I need to dress properly,” Hoseok asked trying to avoid direct eye contact with Jisoo.

“A hint?” Jisoo laughed, “Boy if you don’t get dressed. Go. Dress. Now,” Jisoo commanded as he very casually made his way to Hoseok and put his hands on his waist to guide him to his bedroom.

“Oh, my room is that way,” Hoseok said as he turned in the opposite direction of where Jisoo had pushed him only to walk into his chest, his erection poking Jisoo’s hard abs. “Oh, I am so sorry,” Hoseok tried to move out of Jisoo’s grip, the proximity too much for his already stimulated body, “You just…have to turn. Turn here— “

“Like this?” Jisoo said as he just pulled Hoseok closer to him, pressing Hoseok’s erection deeper into him.

Hoseok unintentionally mewled before he pushed Jisoo to the side, “Lemme just— “

“Ahh, you meant this way!” Jisoo exclaimed as he followed Hoseok who was now racing to his room.

Hoseok felt like he would explode and slammed his bedroom door in Jisoo’s face prohibiting him from entering. Hoseok could hear Jisoo’s whines but ignored them as he tried to lower his body temperature and calm his mind.

“Fine, but hurry up,” Jisoo whined from behind the door. Hoseok happily obliged.

He quickly dressed in a white t-shirt he stole from Jungkook, but the kid never noticed since he had so many, and looked for his favorite pair of jeans. He searched through all his drawers and ever under his bed. Then he mentally slapped himself when he remembered that it was still at the club from a couple of nights ago. He would just have to make do with his black skinny jeans. He quickly put some hair mousse to fluff up his hair and smacked his lips at his large eye bags before covering them with sunglasses.

He walked out of his room to see only his mother in the living room. He didn’t even have to ask before she informed him that Jisoo was waiting outside for him. He thanked her and promised that he’d be safe before walking towards the front door. He almost got smacked in the face by the door as it swung open while he reached towards the doorknob.

“Oh!” Hoseok shouted in surprise.

“Whose sexy ass car is waiting outside in this shithole?!” a booming voice announced. It was Taehyung. When he saw Hoseok his eyes widened but he didn’t say anything.

“It’s Hoseok’s boyfriend’s! Isn’t it just gorgeous?” Hoseok’s mother replied to Taehyung.

“Oh…” Taehyung trailed off.

“Yeah…” Hoseok said, standing still as if he were waiting for Taehyung to say something else.

“Have fun, then.” Taehyung beamed with his signature boxy smile.

 Hoseok scoffed, “See you later, Mom. Love you,” He left without another word or look behind him.

Taehyung watched Hoseok leave. Has Hoseok always looked so…good? It’s as if when Hoseok was available and willing, Taehyung wanted nothing to do with him. But now that Hoseok is taken, he’s all that Taehyung could think about. Maybe he liked the attention that he got from Hoseok. Maybe he liked being chased. Was that a sin? Was he a bad person for leading Hoseok on even when he knew how much Hoseok liked him?

Bad person or not, Taehyung really felt like shit as he watched Hoseok get into that shiny car.

 

 

They were sitting at the usual table under the usual dim light, no talking, just staring. The darkness of the small room matched the sinister atmosphere as no one knew how to begin the conversation. Seokjin, however, knew exactly what he wanted to say, he just had to gather himself as to not come off as too harsh. He had called in Namjoon and Yoongi earlier than the set meeting time because there was something important he needed to talk about. He had suspected for a while now, but after the recent botched transfers and the warehouse slaughter last night, he knew that it was a fact now.

“We’ve got a rat,” Seokjin said as he stared at his nails in fake nonchalance. On the inside, he was fuming.

“Rats? Should I call an exterminator?” Namjoon asked. Yoongi snickered but stopped when he saw Seokjin’s hard face.

“Typical Namjoonie. Making lame jokes at the worst times,” Seokjin growled lowly.

“Isn’t that what you used to love about me?” Namjoon offered, a shadow of a smile on his face.

“Key word: used to,” Seokjin glared into Namjoon’s soft eyes. The stare seemed to vacuum all of Namjoon’s energy from him as his throat tightened and his vision began to blur. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes before the fell.

“Anyways,” Yoongi interrupted, trying to ease the tension in the air, “You said we have a rat? How do you know?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Seokjin said as he looked between Namjoon and Yoongi, both men avoiding his gaze. He continued anyway, “All of our recent transfers have been ambushed. We set the transfer times an hour before, we even made it thirty minutes after the second ambush. How could anyone know about the transfers in that short notice without one of our own telling them?”

There was no response, not because this was shocking evidence, in fact both Namjoon and Yoongi knew for a while that there must have been a rat somewhere in their midst, they just hoped that they were wrong. The mess, the dead bodies, the sleepless nights, all to comb out the rat would be too stressful for the men.

Seokjin interrupted the silence, “Judging by your reactions you already knew, too, didn’t you?”

Yoongi sighed deeply before folding his hands on the table, a sign of his growing agitation, “So what do you want us to do, hmm? Interrogate everyone and kill anyone we think _might_ be the rat?” Yoongi barked.

“What’s with the harsh tone?” Seokjin patronized, “Is that really how you see me? A merciless, ruthless, murderous mob boss who has no clue of what brotherhood is?”

Yoongi finally matched Seokjin’s gaze, “Have you given us any reasons not to? It’s been nothing but bloodshed since the beginning, why would this time be any different?” Yoongi let his bleached strands fall over his eyes interrupting the deadly stare that Seokjin gave him.

This time it was Seokjin who leaned forward towards Yoongi, his back crouched as if preparing to attack, “Interesting, it kind of sounds like you have a problem with the way I run things, Min Yoongi.”

“Your words not mine,”

A metallic click triggered, sending Yoongi’s mind racing; however, he didn’t have time to think before he felt something cold and hard thump his temple.

“Exactly, Yoongi. My words. _My_ words. My words are the only ones that matter, my words are what determine whether you live or die. Mine, Yoongi. Mine!” Seokjin emphasized this with a stiff blow to Yoongi’s head with the handle of the gun. Yoongi let out a surprised screech of pain that was matched by the screech of Namjoon’s chair being pushed back as he stood abruptly.

“Seokjin!” Namjoon yelled before his face blanched as he saw that the barrel of the gun was now facing him, aimed at his face, between his eyes.

“Let me make something clear,” Seokjin gnarled lowly, “I’ve been through too much shit, this,” Seokjin emphasized his words by waving his gun between Namjoon and Yoongi, who kept his head low, “this is nothing.”

“Nothing?” Yoongi said as he snickered sarcastically, his head bent forward, a trail of blood that looked black in the dark room ran from the side of his head down to his chin, “threatening to kill your friends is nothing?”

“If it helps me get to Kim Jisoo,”

Yoongi slowly stood, raising his eyes to Seokjin who was considerably taller than him but, at this moment, they both seemed like equal threats. Now that his head was up, Seokjin could see a second trail of blood, this time going over his right eye and chin to drip onto the floor. They stared at each other for a long while before Yoongi’s face broke into a sadistic smirk and he walked out without another word. He put his hand around the doorknob but looked back at Namjoon to find that his friend’s attention was focused solely on Seokjin.

Yoongi let the door slam behind him.

Namjoon kept his eyes focused on the gun which Seokjin noticed. He inched his way towards Namjoon who also matched his steps backwards. He chanced a glance at Seokjin and saw a menacing black gaze that sent shivers down his spine and he immediately regretted it. The gun seemed less imposing that Seokjin.

Namjoon felt the air escape his lungs as his back hit the wall. He heard Seokjin snicker before he felt the gun dig into the soft skin under his chin. He gritted his teeth in pain and shut his eyes tight only to have them fly open when he felt Seokjin’s chest push up against his. Despite his cold manner, his body was warm.

“You’ve been staring at my gun for a while now. I thought you might want a closer look,” Seokjin rumbled, the vibrations of his voice making Namjoon’s breathing quicken.

Namjoon kept his gaze focused on the wall behind Seokjin, trying to calm his breathing but Seokjin was having none of it.

“Hmm? Not interested anymore?” Seokjin tilted his head in mock curiosity lowering his voice even further to an almost cat-like purr. Seokjin slowly trailed the nose of the gun up Namjoon jaw and across his full lips that were already parted. The touch instantly absorbed the last of the moisture from Namjoon’s mouth so he instinctively shot his tongue out to wet his parched lips. He jerked his head back when his tongue stroked the gun as well, tasting a terrible concoction of metal and the bitter tang of gunpowder.

Seokjin smiled at this before using his large hands to grip the back of Namjoon’s head to hold him still. He played with Namjoon’s lower lip, nosing the gun back and forth.

“Do it again,” Seokjin commanded airily.

Namjoon made a sound of confusion, not trusting himself to form words. Seokjin understood his confusion and offered to help him for once.

“This,” Seokjin said as he snaked his tongue up the barrel of the gun before stopping just millimeters from Namjoon’s mouth. “And this,” Seokjin added as he flicked his tongue suggestively over the hole of the gun where the bullets shoot out of, ignoring the bitterness and circling the perimeter, closing his eyes and sighing pleasurably for extra effect.

Namjoon couldn’t help his bodily reaction. The way Seokjin expertly flicked his tongue in and around the gun with his sexy eyes and sexy sighs. Which is why he didn’t hesitate to obey when Seokjin forced the gun into his mouth, commanding him to suck.

But Seokjin was too rough, he pushed the gun further into Namjoon’s mouth causing his eyes to water and him to gag. His mouth watered relentlessly and saliva was all over the gun and some laced down his chin and onto Seokjin’s fingers, who didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. Seokjin sighed deeply as he stepped even closer to Namjoon, pressing their growing erections against each other.

Seokjin grinned, “You’re so sloppy, there’s no way I can shoot this gun anymore.” Seokjin eased the gun out of Namjoon’s mouth before continuing, “I’ll just save it to fuck you with it later.”

Namjoon didn’t have time to react because a knock at the door and a familiar female voice called out.

“Seokjin-ah, it’s about the dead bouncer. His wife wants to settle the final details for his funeral.”

“I’ll be right out, Taeyeon-ah,” Seokjin responded, however he did not break eye contact with Namjoon, who looked back at him with scared and desperate eyes.

Seokjin put the gun back into his holster and walked towards the door as if normal. He opened the door to reveal Taeyeon in her usual silk robe and perfect hair. She bowed her head to greet Seokjin as he strutted past her.

“Ah, Taeyeon-ah. Get me a copy of the security footage so I can see who killed the poor bastard,” Seokjin called behind his back without another look at Namjoon.

Taeyeon nodded but stayed behind for a moment to see that Namjoon was out of breath and leaning against the wall, his face towards the ceiling.

She closed the door.

 

 

 

 

 

**Wang:** _Hey boo! What you up to?_ [Sent 9:45 PM]

**Chim:** _Chilling at home, why?_  

**Wang:** _I’m hungry :(_  

**Chim:** _Then go eat??_

**Wang:** _I don’t wanna go alone_

**Chim:** _Then find someone and go eat??_

**Wang:** _That’s why I’m texting you_

**Wang:** _Duhh_

**Chim:** _Lol I guess I can eat. Where did you wanna meet?_

**Wang:** _Well I was in the mood for multiple tastes tonight._

**Wang:** _You know, get some drinks here. There’s a good Indian place, I was also in the mood for Mexican._

**Wang:** _Then end the night with some soju and fried chicken. Yum!_

**Chim:** _Yeah…I’m not hungry anymore_

**Wang:** _What?? Why was it too much :( ?_

**Chim:** _Nah I just don’t have that kind of money lol_

**Wang:** _Bae you ain’t gotta worry about it I gotchuuuu_

**Chim:** _I can’t let you pay that much_

**Wang:** _I don’t mind_

**Chim:** _Yeah but I don’t wanna feel like I owe you_

**Wang:** _I’ve never felt so crushed. It really is true that the ones you love hurt you the most. Oh, the pain!_

**Chim:** _Whatever drama queen_

**Chim:** _Tell you what, when I get sufficient funds I’ll treat you_

**Wang:** _Lol yass Sugar Daddy_

**Wang:** _Need help?_

**Chim:** _Help with what?_

**Wang:** _Getting sufficient funds_

**Chim:** _Depends, how can you help?_

**Wang:** _It’s kinda hard to explain over text_

**Wang:** _Come thru to Erotica. I’ll explain it more there_

**Chim:** _Okay…See you there_ [Sent 10:01 PM]

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Well, no wonder it took you 12 and a half years to answer my calls. You have a fossil for a cellphone!” Jisoo joked as he toyed with Hoseok’s flip phone.

Hoseok laughed, “Whatever, it makes calls and sends texts. That’s all I need it for,”

“That’s what drug dealers say,” Jisoo chimed.

“So, can you tell me where we’re going now?” Hoseok said. They had been driving for a little over ten minutes and he still had absolutely no clue what the plans for the day were.

“No need to, we’re already here,” Jisoo said cheerfully as he parked the car.

Hoseok looked around him confused but followed Jisoo as he got out of the car and started walking. Jisoo turned into a phone store, holding the door open for Hoseok who was even more confused at that point.

“What are we doing here?” Hoseok asked as he stepped into the phone store.

“Your phone was hurting my eyes so I thought we should change it,” Jisoo said straightforwardly.

“What phone? _This_ phone?” Hoseok said raising his phone.

“What other phone could I be talking about?” Jisoo laughed when he saw Hoseok grip his phone tight and hold it to his chest like a precious baby.

“C’mon,” Jisoo smiled as he took Hoseok’s hand. Hoseok blushed at this, not used to the shameless display of affection.

“I don’t have any money…” Hoseok said in a voice barely above a whisper but Jisoo heard it anyway.

“You assumed you were paying for it?”

“Oh, no, Jisoo, I can’t let you—“ Hoseok started but was cut off.

“Excuse me, Miss. What’s the newest phone you have here?”

 

 

 

 

Hoseok was tinkering around with his new iPhone 7 as Jisoo sped along the coast. They were driving along a curvy mountain road right next to the small port of water that all the town’s shipments were received and delivered.

“I still don’t understand why there isn’t a headphone jack,” Hoseok scoffed.

Jisoo laughed, “No one does. Don’t forget you have a new number now, make sure to tell people,”

Hoseok didn’t respond, as he was too focused on playing a game that he had just downloaded. It was only quiet for a few minutes before Jisoo looked over at Hoseok’s concentrated face and laughed.

“What?” Hoseok asked still concentrating on his game.

“Are you always this adorable?” When Jisoo got an incredulous look from Hoseok, he clarified, “you pout your lips when you concentrate,”

“Ahh,” Hoseok hummed, “yeah, that happens. Also, when I’m drunk,”

“And high, apparently,” Jisoo added.

Hoseok dropped his phone on his lap in confusion, “High? I’ve never done drugs before.”

“No? But you were blasted last night,” Jisoo laughed but stopped when he saw Hoseok’s serious expression, “Wait…so you weren’t high last night?”

“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t. I mean, I don’t remember taking any…SHIT!” Hoseok kicked his feet up and slammed his hands on in front of him.

Jisoo jumped in surprise, swerving the steering wheel in shock sending Hoseok flying to his right into the car door. Jisoo straightened the car before yelling, “What the fuck is wrong!”

“Holy shit…no fucking way,” Hoseok groaned as he scratched at his scalp in irritation.

“What? WHAT?!” Jisoo pried.

“He said it was for headaches. Headaches my ass. Oh, I’m gonna kill that little fucker,”

“Kill who?” Jisoo questioned as he pulled over onto the shoulder next to large rocks that sat on the shoreline of the water.

“Jung—my friend, he gave me pills last night saying they would help my headache. I didn’t think anything of it but…damn,”

“Damn is right. Good thing you spent the night with me and not some psycho killer or something,” Jisoo said as he wagged his eyebrows.

Hoseok laughed but he didn’t seem all that relieved. Jisoo sighed before he got out of the car and strode to Hoseok’s door and opened it for him.

“C’mon,” Jisoo said as he held his hand out for Hoseok to take.

Hoseok took Jisoo’s hand and stood out of the car but was flustered as to why they stopped there. “Why are we...”

“Don’t worry,” Jisoo interrupted as he went to the trunk of the car and pulled out a fabric bag, “I’ve already got food. We can just stop here.” Jisoo offered his hand again.

Hoseok frowned but took Jisoo’s hand and let him lead him towards the rocks. “We’re going up there?” Hoseok asked as he tightened his grip on Jisoo’s hand.

“Yeah, is that okay?” Jisoo said as he turned around to look at Hoseok with wide and caring eyes. Hoseok sighed as he realized, again, just how handsome Jisoo was. Jisoo stepped closer to Hoseok when he didn’t respond, “We don’t have to, we can find somewhere else to— “

“Oh, no,” Hoseok interjected, “It’s fine. I’m just a little…not scared. Just…” Hoseok trailed off.

“Don’t worry, just hold onto me. I won’t let you fall, promise.” Jisoo smiled and turned back around, walking at a slower pace in order to keep Hoseok as close to him as possible to make him feel safer.

They descended the jagged rocks and they had to jump down about six feet down to get to the sand. Jisoo jumped down first, his tall body having no trouble with the distance. He placed the fabric bag down and turned to look up at Hoseok who was looking down at him with frightened eyes, almost like a deer. He gave Hoseok a big smile before gripping his waist and holding tight. Hoseok placed his hands on his shoulders and, before he could even think about jumping down, Jisoo had gently carried him down. The suddenness of this action befuddled Hoseok and he couldn’t properly place his feet on the sand and, instead, fell into Jisoo’s chest. However, Jisoo didn’t step back or even let go of his waist and Hoseok didn’t remove his hands from Jisoo’s shoulders either. They stood there, chest-to-chest looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity but was really only five seconds. The closeness caused Hoseok to swallow hard, the bobbing of his Adam’s apple being caught by Jisoo’s eyes. Jisoo focused on Hoseok neck and his pulse point which exposed how quickly his heart was beating.

Hoseok focused on Jisoo’s hands on his waist, how tight his grip was. His hands so large…large…like Taehyung’s. Taehyung.

Hoseok quickly stepped back, “Thanks, for helping me down. You said you brought food, right?” Hoseok hastily walked passed Jisoo and grabbed the fabric bag from the sand and began to walk trying to put as much distance between him and Jisoo.

As he walked, Hoseok’s mind began racing with thoughts. Why did he freak out? Was that even considered a freak out? Hoseok mentally slapped himself, even with someone as rich, as sexy, as nice as Jisoo, Taehyung still dictated his every thought. Taehyung, the one who couldn’t care less about him, but all Hoseok did was care about Taehyung. How would Taehyung feel if he did this; How would Taehyung feel if he did that. Wasn’t he tired of this one-sided love? Wasn’t it about time that his feelings for someone be reciprocated? Wasn’t that possible with Jisoo? Hoseok’s mind said “Yes, motherfucker!” but his heart said “Give, Tae some time. Time is all he needs.”

Hoseok stopped walking and turned around. Jisoo was farther away then he thought, dragging his feet in the sand and looking down. Hoseok felt bad seeing Jisoo’s sullen face but, at this point, he wasn’t ready to give up Taehyung. Not yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jungkook tried desperately to pry his eyelids open but they felt like they were made of steel. When he cracked them open the blindingly bright light coming from above him caused him to grimace and squeeze his eyes shut again.

“Oh, are you up?” A very soft voice said from his right.

The voice was familiar but Jungkook just couldn’t quite place it. Who was this? Where was he? What day was it? What year? Did he…die? He must’ve died, why else couldn’t he remember anything?

He moved his tongue around his mouth but it was too dry for him to talk so he just groaned in response.

A gentle laugh surrounded him, “I bet you feel like shit. Figures, you did get hit on the head with a bottle of champagne.”

“Whhhhhaaaaatttttt.”

Is what Jungkook wanted to say, but the voice, as gentle as it was, was shrill and made his ears rings. His head was pounding now and he just wanted to go back to sleep and sink into that peaceful abyss of numbness. He turned on his side, away from the source of the voice and tried to go back to sleep.

 

 

 

 

Jungkook awoke clearer minded than before. His head still hurt but at least he could open his eyes. He sat up and immediately regretted everything. His ribs felt like they were a tangled mess so he gritted his teeth in order to not cry out in pain but that only made his temples feel like grenades that had just exploded. He slowly settled himself against the many pillows behind him and looked around to see that he wasn’t in his room, or any room that was familiar to him. He was on a bed under white covers and, a quick swipe of his hands on the sheets revealed that he was laying on top of silk sheets and pillowcases. Fancy, he thought. He looked at the matching white furniture and the gold décor accents and the small desk lamp that illuminated the room in a dim yellow hue. Fancier, he thought.

Where the fuck am I? He thought again.

As if on cue, a head with silky black hair flowing from it popped out from behind the bedroom door.

“You’re up! You are, right? Or are you gonna turn around and fall asleep on me again?” Jungkook turned to see that it was Jisoo talking to him. The dancer from the club who he almost fell in love with last night…was it last night?

Jungkook cleared his throat, “How long have I been out?” His voice sounded like he had gargled tiny rocks with jagged edges for twenty minutes straight.

“Hmm…twelve hours.” Jisoo said calmly as she stepped into the room towards Jungkook.

“Twelve?! Ow…” Jungkook rubbed his temples when his outburst made his head pound.

“Yeah, you should keep calm. Lisa said it you might have a concussion.” Jisoo said as she handed Jungkook a glass of water and two pills, “Ibuprofen.”

“Thanks. Um, Lisa?”

“What? Oh, she’s just one of my roommates. She’s pretty chill. Drink,” Jisoo urged Jungkook to take the pills. Jungkook downed the pills and the entire glass of water. The water had a hint of a copper taste to it and he poked his tongue on the corner of his mouth. Yep, his mouth was cut open in the corner. Makes sense as he was hit in the head with a…what was it…

“A wine bottle?” Jungkook said.

“Huh?” Jisoo looked at him with her wide, puppy dog eyes. Jungkook couldn’t help but smile.

“You said…I got hit in the head with a wine bottle?”

“Oh, close. It was champagne, but don’t worry. That bar has experienced so many fights that the bottles are basically shatter proof, you don’t have any gashes,” Jisoo laughed.

“Is there a difference?” Jungkook grinned as he licked the blood that was collecting in the corner of his mouth. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t trying to be sexy. And it worked, too, since Jisoo bit her lip and her cheeks flushed to a bright red.

“Well, yeah. If you’re gonna tell a story, you gotta tell it right,”

“A story? Is me being hit in the head with a champagne bottle worth a whole story?”

Jisoo laughed, her giggles sounding like golden bells, “That’s not all that happened, silly.”

“Then tell me, Jisoo,” Jungkook said as he laid back down onto his back. Jisoo peered down on him with a big smile on her face.

“You remember my name?”

“Of course,” Jungkook said as he reached up to play with a Jisoo’s hair, “Why wouldn’t I?”

Jisoo didn’t respond, she only frowned a looked away, shrugging her shoulders. Jungkook used his thumb and index fingers to hold Jisoo’s chin and make her look back at him.

He smiled gently, “Go on. Tell me a story.”

 

 

 

Jungkook couldn’t stand the sight of him anymore. He just wanted to punch his perfect teeth into his pretty skull. It didn’t even register how quickly his legs were moving until he was directly in front of the guy. He had no choice but to hit him now, right? It was completely logical to hit a guy he didn’t even know over a girl he barely knew…right?

Fuck it, Jungkook thought. He swung his arm back and just launched it, not even aiming. The ex-boyfriend flew back but he didn’t fall and, instead, stood back up and faced Jungkook with the same cocky smile. Jungkook lost it, he charged towards the guy and tackled him into the couch that he was sitting on. He pummeled the guy’s face until he was unable to tell whether the red in his vision was from his anger or from the blood spewing from the guy’s face underneath him. He didn’t think he would ever stop attacking the guy but suddenly a hard thud to his head that knocked him off the couch and stunned him. Then he was thrashed by kicks coming from all directions. How many people were on top of him? His vision was too blurry to tell anymore but the kicks were as sharp as knives.

“Let me at the son of a bitch,” a voice came which stopped all the kicks. Suddenly, Jungkook felt a pressure on his chest that aggravated his bruised ribs making it even harder to breathe. He anticipated what the guy on top of him would do so he mustered his strength and raised his arms to block the onslaught of punches that came. But he had lost more stamina than he had thought because he couldn’t block all the punches that fell upon his head and face. One punch to his right temple. Another to his jaw. A strike to his nose and he heard a pop and immediately tasted copper in the back of his throat. One last punch to his left temple and everything went black.

 

 

 

 

“You’re lucky,” Jisoo said after she finished recounting the fight, “Madame Taeyeon stopped the fight when she did, you could’ve really gotten hurt.”

“Hmm,” Jungkook groaned, “I feel like death would be my only relief right now.” Jisoo laughed and ran her fingers softly through Jungkook’s hair. The contact was so very welcome at that point and Jungkook closed his eyes relishing in the soft moment.

“You really don’t remember anything?” she asked. Jungkook shook his head, talking just hurt too much. “Not even what happened before the fight?”

Jungkook scoffed and opened his eyes to see Jisoo’s wide eyes staring right back at him, hopeful with a hint of fear, “Of course, how could I forget such your beautiful face and dazzling voice?” Jungkook whispered as he played with Jisoo’s hair. He just loved her hair.

“Dazzling?” Jisoo quipped. Jungkook laughed softly as he didn’t want to aggravate his bruised ribs and add more pounding to his head.

Jungkook felt a vibration under him and looked to see that he was laying on top of his phone. It was just a text from his mom asking him to bring milk on the way home. He replied that he wouldn’t be coming home that night and that she should get it herself. He continued through his notifications and saw that Jimin had texted him multiple times.

Jimin.

It had been a while since he had seen Jimin. He didn’t know why. Actually, he knew exactly why. He’d been ignoring Jimin ever since that night. That night when Jimin touched himself. That part didn’t really bother Jungkook since he had jerked himself off in the same room as his friends while they slept numerous times. The part that concerned Jungkook was when Jimin moaned out Jungkook’s name. Did that mean that Jimin liked him? They’ve been friends for so long that Jungkook couldn’t see Jimin in any other way besides a big brother, so why was it different for Jimin? How long did he feel that way?

That is why Jungkook avoided Jimin. His thoughts always ran with him when he thought about Jimin and that night. It was hard and confusing for Jungkook because he wasn’t disgusted when he heard Jimin call his name. If it wasn’t disgust then what was it?

Jungkook couldn’t, wouldn’t, let himself face Jimin. He didn’t know why. Maybe he was scared. Scared of--

“Hey, you okay?” Jisoo asked, interrupting Jungkook’s thoughts.

“Yeah, I guess I’m still fucked up. Is it okay if I rest a little more?” Jungkook looked at Jimin’s text one last time before tossing his phone across the bed where it was too far to reach.

“Of course, baby. Get some rest,” Jisoo said as she stood up and left the room, no questions asked.

Baby? Jungkook felt like Jisoo gave him a million dollars and not some basic pet name. His heart pounded against his chest and it was the only thing that didn’t hurt. He was excited. The girl he liked like him, too. Though he had no problems picking up girls, he never felt a true, genuine pull towards any of them. But Jisoo was different. She was mysterious. Jungkook wanted to learn her every quirk, birthmark, pet peeve, and dream. And he was going to, he had to. If he didn’t have her in his life, in his arms, his life would be worthless and unfulfilling. Everything he did without her would be a waste. He had to stay by her side forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jimin looked at the time for the fifth time as he stood in the alley in front of the club entrance. 11:45 PM. Where the hell was Jackson? Jimin sighed and leaned against the wall. Jimin continued to stare at his phone hoping that Jungkook would text him back and had zoned out while staring at the last text that he sent Jungkook when the bouncer’s voice interrupted the silence.

“Listen, I’ve already told you three times that you can’t just stand out here. Either you pay the fee to get in or kick rocks, kid,” the bouncer in front of the door said. Jimin rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to respond but, luckily, Jackson came out.

“Hey, babe! Sorry, did you wait long?” Jackson said, sounding a bit out of breath.

“Nah, not too long,” Jimin replied.

“He’s with me,” Jackson told the bouncer before gripping Jimin’s hand to lead him into the club. The bouncer only nodded. How annoying, the bouncer gave him such a tough time for just standing outside. Jimin couldn’t help himself and stuck his tongue out at the bouncer as he was pulled into the club by Jackson. Jackson was dressed in a white dress shirt and black tie with matching black suit pants. Jimin’s eyes gravitated to Jackson’s ass that were accentuated by the black material.

Jackson led him straight through the main part of the club, through the door, and even across the hidden part of the club. Even for a weekday this place was packed. Jackson weaved through the crowd and the people seemed to be making way for him whereas Jimin was constantly being shoved and rubbed against as they made their way across. Jackson walked towards a door and stopped in front of it and turned to Jimin. He looked at Jimin but then shook his head and quickly led him to the bar. He sat down and pulled Jimin down to sit on the stool next to him.

“You’re gonna need a drink or two before,” Jackson clarified before signaling the bartender and lifting two fingers. The bartender nodded right away and turned around to prepare the drinks that Jackson had ordered with no words. Telepathy, Jimin thought before laughing to himself over his goofy thoughts.

“Already giggly? Maybe you don’t need any drinks,” Jackson said as he flashed his award-winning grin.

Jimin was going to respond but was interrupted by the clank of the shot glasses landing on top of the glass bar counter. As usual, the shot glasses were filled to the brim with the bright green liquid. The bartender had given one shot glass to Jimin and the other to Jackson but Jackson slid his glass over to Jimin.

“I only drink if I’m getting paid for it,” Jackson commented. He saw Jimin’s confused face and smiled before picking up a glass and held it in front of Jimin’s mouth, “Bottoms up!”

Jimin obligingly downed the shot, grimacing at the intensity of that meager amount of alcohol. It lit his chest on fire and burned the back of his eyes so he gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. When Jimin cleared the welled-up tears in his eyes he was surprised, and all be it a little annoyed, to see that Jackson had picked up the other shot glass and was holding it in front of him again. Jimin sighed then downed that shot as well, hoping it was enough for Jackson to finally reveal why he was there in the first place.

Jackson gently grabbed the sides of Jimin’s head and looked into his eyes before ticking his tongue and signaling the bartender once again, “One more over here, Mark,”

Jimin gasped and shook out of Jackson’s grasp, “One more?! It’s so fucking gross, though. Can’t I have soju or something?” Jimin whined.

Jackson laughed as he petted Jimin’s head, “That’s the only drink we have here in this lovely facility, innocent Jimin,”

“But why though?”

“Hmm…” Jackson pouted his lips as he thought, “Aesthetic?” Jackson laughed at Jimin’s exasperated expression so he added, “And also because it’s illegal in this country, it attracts risk takers. Why do you think this place is always so packed?”

“I guess I’m not a risk taker then,” Jimin smiled, starting to get a little giddy as the emerald drink settled in his bloodstream.

“Hopefully I can change that tonight,” Jimin looked at Jackson for clarification but instead got another shot glass filled with the emerald liquid in his face, once again. Jimin rolled his eyes but downed the drink, quicker this time since he had gotten used to the burn. He slammed the shot glass onto the bar counter and howled like a werewolf as his blood became diluted with the alcohol.

“Now you’re ready!” Jackson said as he stood up and wrapped his arm around Jimin’s waist and guided him to the mysterious door across the room. Jimin wasn’t even drunk, just tipsy, so he was fully capable of walking without Jackson’s help, usually his pride would get the best of him and he would shake the arm off. But the way his waist warmed and tingled with Jackson’s arm around it was enough to overcome Jimin’s pride.

“Okay, now, before we go in,” Jackson said slowly, “Just know that I am not forcing you to do anything. I’m just showing you some choices, you know, to help out a friend in need.” And with a solid pat to Jimin’s back, Jackson knocked on the door twice and it swung open.

The first thing that came to Jimin’s mind was how red everything was. Jackson let Jimin walk in first and Jimin’s tipsy legs lead the way further into the large room. Jimin didn’t even register that there were people in the room until he heard a deep throaty and muffled moan to his right. His neck snapped to the right and Jimin’s eyes expanded so wide that his eyebrows nearly touched his hairline.

Jimin had never witnessed first-hand a scene so scandalous, so provocative, so sinful in his short life. There was a line of men who looked to be middle-aged naked and on their knees with matching black silk blindfolds over their eyes. Their hands were behind their backs and, Jimin couldn’t see, but he guessed that their hands were tied as well. Their mouths were gagged with a red ball that was attached to a black belt that wrapped around the back of their heads to keep the ball secured in place.

There was a man who was completely naked except for a black G-string that covered his front but left his behind clear to see. When he saw Jackson, he nodded. He was striding back and forth behind the men with a black riding crop in his hand hitting it softly against the palm of his hand in a steady tempo. Tap. Tap. Tap. The tempo was interrupted when he suddenly pulled his arm back and whipped the back of one of the men on his knees. Jimin flinched and expected the man to cry in pain, to fall onto his stomach and roll around in agony. Jimin was taken aback when instead of a scream, the man moaned and wiggled his shoulders as if basking in the explosive pain of the riding crop.

Jackson’s hand on Jimin’s shoulder made Jimin flinch in surprise. Jackson’s face was blank but his eyes were expectant.

“What is this place?” Jimin whispered.

“Don’t worry about that over there,” Jackson motioned to the scene that Jimin was just staring at with his chin. He ran his fingers through Jimin’s hair before adding, “That isn’t why I brought you here. Follow me,” he said as he held Jimin’s hands and led him straight to a hallway flanked on both sides by three doors.

“What’s behind these doors,” Jimin said as he looked at each one. All but one looked the same, black with red accents, but the furthest door to the left had its colors inverted, red with black accents. Jimin didn’t believe in auras but the feeling coming from that door was dark and menacing and something Jimin definitely never wanted to impinge upon.

“They’re all different. It took me a while to memorize what was behind each. Again, don’t worry about it. The only door that you’ll be using, if, of course, you want to, is this one,” Jackson said as he stood in front of a door on the left side of the hall in between a matching black door and the sinister red door. Jackson didn’t knock on this door, instead he just walked in to reveal a subtler scene.

The room was black with chrome accents and the black marble wall matched the black marble table that sat in the middle of the room. The room was smoky but the scent was sweet rather toxic and room was dimly lit with warm gold hues. The table was surrounded by a semi-circle leather black couch that looked more valuable than Jimin’s whole existence. The table was covered in glasses and extravagant pitchers filled with the emerald drink and the drinks were casually being sipped by two couples, two on each side and one man in the middle. Like the men on their knees outside, there were three middle-aged men, not handsome at all but exuding with money, and two of them had their arms around young men who looked to me Jackson’s age who should have been on the cover of magazines instead of sitting in this dark room with these old men.

The one on the left looked really young, younger than Jimin. He was skinny but when he smiled his presence grew to where he was the center of attention. His hair was a vibrant mixture of pink, purple, and red. It was difficult to explain the color but it just looked so good on him. The one on the right looked older and his hair was a natural black that glistened in the light and flowed when he moved his head. Jimin’s hair was black, too, but, compared to this man, his hair seemed so dull and drab. His smile brightened his face and his plush pink lips were the perfect accent to his pale skin. Jimin could see under the table that his legs were long. All the men at the table were in black suits, but the younger men outshined the dull middle-aged men who sat with them.

When the younger guys saw Jackson, they whooped and lifted their glasses.

“Jackson, finally, man. We thought you got lost out there,” the young man on the right said.

“Sorry,” Jackson said as he closed the door and stepped further into the room, “I lost track of time with my friend. Guys,” Jackson placed his hand on the small of Jimin’s waist and gently pulled Jimin to stand next to him, “This is Jimin.”

“Ahh, the famous Jimin,” the guy on the left said.

“Jackson wouldn’t shut up about you since he met you,” the one on the right laughed.

Jimin couldn’t come up with words since he was still in shock. Not even the alcohol could get him to speak. He smiled and nodded his head politely before unconsciously stepping closer to Jackson. This did not go unnoticed by the men in the room who whooped excessively and the one on the left even clapped.

“Jackson definitely didn’t exaggerate. He’s adorable, bro,” the one on the left said. Jimin pouted at that comment, he hated being called adorable.

“Look who’s talking,” the one on the right said as he stuck his finger in his drink and flicked the liquid on the other boy’s face. The one on the left did the same but before they could get too rowdy, the man in the middle of the table sitting by himself spoke up.

“Well, Jackson. Aren’t you going to introduce us to your Jimin?” the man’s voice wasn’t deep but it carried an authority to it that demanded to be listened to.

“Your…” Jimin mumbled before Jackson laughed and patted his back. Jimin looked at him and Jackson smiled but gave him a look that said, “Let it go.”

“Right, so, Jimin. This is Yugyeom, Mr. Lee, Mr. Choi, Mr. Hwan, and BamBam,” Jackson pointed out the men starting from the right corner to the left.

“Nice to meet you,” Jimin said bowing slightly.

“Goddamn he’s gonna kill me with the cuteness,” the one named BamBam said. Jimin forced himself not to roll his eyes.

“Well, don’t just stand there. Come have a drink with us, Jimin” the man in the middle, Mr. Choi asked.

“Oh, I—“ Jimin tried to refuse, he didn’t want to drink anymore of that green poison but he was interrupted by Jackson pushing him forward towards the couch.

“Of course, Mr. Choi,” Jackson gleamed. Yugyeom and Mr. Lee both moved their legs to let Jackson and Jimin walk past them to sit next to Mr. Choi. Jackson sat directly next to the man while Jimin sat next to Jackson. Jackson poured three glasses of the drink and gave one to each man and for himself. These were larger cups, maybe about three full shot glasses in each cup. Both Jackson and Mr. Choi took sips of the drink but Jimin just held it in his hand and watched as a tiny green whirlpool formed as he twirled the glass. Jackson noticed that Jimin wasn’t drinking so he leaned over and whispered in Jimin’s ear, “Drink. It’ll make it easier.”

Jimin looked at Jackson and expected his face to be blank like before, but this time it was very expressive. His face was pleading and a little desperate and it made Jimin feel sorry though he didn’t know what for. Jimin stared back down at his drink, the whirlpool was gone since he stopped twirling it but the liquid was still moving off its momentum. Fuck it, Jimin thought before he tipped his head back and downed the drink in one shot.

It was a lot, maybe even too much, but Jimin wanted to make sure that he didn’t embarrass Jackson this night. The only way to do that was to get loose and the only way to get loose in this crazy ass situation was to get drunk. Jimin kept his head back as he felt his limbs loosen and his heart rate slow. He smiled at the feathery feeling before dropping his head back to look at the men around the table who had gone silent. He was surprised to see that they were all looking at him but the drink had dulled his sense of…giving a shit. He smiled wider as he ran his fingers through his hair to pull it back, it had grown too long over the months but he was too lazy, or rather too broke, to get it cut properly.

Jimin zoned out, loving the way his mind was so clear and worry-free. Shit, if that was what getting drunk was like then Jimin wanted to be drunk every day. The men were conversing among themselves but they suddenly turned to look over at Jimin again. Jimin blinked, someone must’ve asked him a question while he wasn’t paying attention.

Mr. Choi laughed, “He must be too drunk to be cognizant, right now,” Choi said. His eyes flashed with a predatory gleam and his teeth were stained yellow with coal black gums. Jimin scowled.

“Too drunk? Maybe you’re not drunk enough,” Jimin replied as he poured more alcohol into his glass and slid it over to Mr. Choi. Mr. Choi raised his eyebrows in awe while Jackson leaned back and laughed.

Jackson pinched Jimin’s cheek as he grinned, “You’re a natural, baby,”

Jimin lightly slapped Jackson’s hand away but he smiled anyway, loving the way Jackson’s voice vibrated through his ear drums. He looked over across the table to see that Yugyeom was making out with the old guy. It was a weird sight, honestly, such a beautiful young guy making out with such an unattractive older guy. The older man had his back to Jimin so only Yugyeom’s face was visible. Jimin sighed through his nose as he put his elbow on the table so he could rest his chin on his palm. Yugyeom must have heard Jimin’s sigh because he opened his eyes and, without breaking the sloppy kiss, winked at Jimin. Jimin looked away in embarrassment and, instead, focused his attention on BamBam.

BamBam and Mr. Hwan were smoking a hookah and blowing out pink smoke that smelled like strawberries. Once again, since Mr. Hwan’s back was facing Jimin, only BamBam’s face was visible to Jimin. BamBam noticed that Jimin was staring and decided to give him a show.

“Shotgun?” BamBam asked Mr. Hwan with one raised eyebrow.

Mr. Hwan didn’t verbally respond but he repositioned himself to sit square facing BamBam. BamBam took a large inhale of the hookah and held Mr. Hwan’s chin in his fingers before bringing the lips together. They began to kiss slowly, their tongues moving languidly with each other, streams of the pink vapor billowing from their mouths when their lips parted as they gasped. There was still some smoke left in BamBam’s mouth that hazed out as he snaked his tongue out to lick his lower lip, eyes fixated on Jimin, hypnotizing him. He looked like a sensual dragon steaming with lust and damnable desire but Jimin couldn’t look away.

Jimin was pulled out of his trance when Jackson sighed next to him. Jimin turned to look at Jackson to see that he was sitting back with one arm resting on the head of the couch behind Jimin. Jimin was confused when he didn’t see Mr. Choi since he didn’t see him leave the room. A muffled groan from below drew Jimin’s attention where he saw Mr. Choi hungrily rubbing his mouth and his face against Jackson’s clothed crotch. Jimin looked at Jackson to see that he was sipping his drink with an impassive look on his face. Jackson caught his eyes and smiled warmly, his eyes brightening up as he pinched Jimin’s flushed cheeks again. Jimin slapped Jackson’s hand away again then laid back to rest his head in the crook of Jackson’s elbow, looking up at him, first at his eyes, but then at his lips that were wet from the drink. Jimin imagined licking the droplets from Jackson’s lips.

It was a nice thought, it made Jimin feel good. But it would be so much nicer to actually do it. Jimin brought his face closer to Jackson and subtly licked the droplets from Jackson’s lips. Jackson parted his lips as he sighed and Jimin took the opportunity to suck Jackson’s lower lip. Jackson’s moaned quietly, a moan only Jimin could hear, and it excited Jimin. He parted his lips and fully kissed Jackson, caressing his lips with hungry pecks and thirsty strokes with his tongue.

“Can I join?” Jimin abruptly broke off the kiss when Mr. Choi lifted his head from Jackson’s crotch to look up at Jackson and Jimin, asking to join in on the kiss.

Jimin looked down at Mr. Choi. Jimin was disgusted by the old man. His face was sweaty and red and he was panting like a dehydrated dog. It wasn’t even like he had done anything. He got that worked up just by rubbing his face on Jackson’s crotch? Like a fucking hamster in heat. So shameful. Jimin scowled before gripping the back of Mr. Choi’s head and pushing his face back down between Jackson’s legs. For good measure, Jimin kept his hand on the back of Mr. Choi’s head, holding him down so he wouldn’t come back up and lust after what was Jimin’s.

Jimin looked back at Jackson to see that he was looking at Jimin with his head tilted with an inquiring look on his face. Jimin smirked as he used his other hand to grasp the side of Jackson’s face and pull him in for another kiss. It was a weird feeling, holding down Mr. Choi’s head in between the legs of the man he was kissing but Jimin felt a sort of power in the position. He was dominating the kiss. He was suppressing Mr. Choi’s gross ravenous sexual desire. Mr. Choi’s head was moving rapidly as he worked between Jackson’s legs and it was really distracting.

Jimin broke the kiss, “Hold still. You’re ruining my mood,” Jimin ordered Mr. Choi.

He meant to say he was ruining “the mood” but it came out as “my mood,” instead. Whatever, it got the point across. Mr. Choi immediately stopped squirming under Jimin’s grip and, instead, began grazing his cheek against Jackson’s thigh slowly. Jackson chuckled at how demanding Jimin was. He went in for a kiss but grunted in pain when Jimin pulled his hair dragging his face away.

“Did I say you could kiss me?” Jimin whispered.

Jackson snorted but when he considered Jimin’s eyes and saw the flash of danger that swept across his irises he instantly subdued. It was surprising how different Jimin was. He wasn’t the innocent, shy, giggly boy that Jackson was used to but rather a commanding confident man who did what he wanted. Even his voice was different, it was deeper and raspy. Jackson looked over Jimin’s face, how his long black hair swept across his forehead and hid his eyebrows. His lips were a little red and swollen and moist from their kiss. Jackson’s eyes trailed down to Jimin’s chest that was moving up and down at a steady pace. Jimin seemed so comfortable in his position and, Jackson thought, he was really good at it.

Jimin smirked when Jackson held still and pulled his face closer to his for another kiss. However, when their lips barely grazed each other, Jimin pushed Jackson away and turned around to sit back against the couch sighing loudly.

“I’m bored,” Jimin complained.

“I thought I was the only one,” BamBam grinned as he, too, sat back against the couch.

“Guess we should call it a night then, yeah?” Yugyeom offered as he stretched his long arms out yawning.

“W-what? But it was just getting good! Just a little while longer, huh?” Mr. Choi lamented looking between Jackson and Jimin with wide eyes and a sweaty upper lip.

Jimin grimaced, “No.”

Mr. Choi was going to object but Jackson stood up and clapped, “You heard him,” Jackson said, “time to call it a night. But wasn’t it great while it lasted?”

Everyone, except for Jimin, stood up, stretched and walked towards the door, the older men whining about their night being over.

“Walk them out, BamBam,” Jackson ordered. BamBam nodded and held the door open for the men. Mr. Choi stayed behind and dug his hand in his pocket to pull out his wallet. Jimin watched as Mr. Choi pulled out three 100,000 won bills and folded them before holding them in front of Jimin.

“Will you be coming back, Jimin?” Mr. Choi desperately inquired.

Jimin eyed the bills as he answered, “I’m not sure…”

Mr. Choi immediately fished in his wallet again and pulled out four more bills to add to the three already in his hand. He unfolded the bills and placed them on the table, putting a glass on top of them to hold them in place.

“Please come back,” Mr. Choi requested as he bowed and followed the men out of the room.

Jimin followed Mr. Choi with his eyes and saw that Jackson was the only one still by the door and he was looking at him.

Jackson smiled and winked, “Take it. It’s yours,”

“A-all of it?” Jimin asked, eyes wide.

“Yup, you earned it,” Jackson said as he motioned for Jimin to follow him out of the room.

Jimin modestly took the money and pocketed it before getting up and following Jackson out of the room. They continued to walk out of the other door that separated this red room from the other part of the club. When they exited, they walked towards a table where BamBam, Yugyeom and another man were lounging. As they got closer, Jimin realized that the other man sitting was the same one from the red room with the riding crop. When they sat at the table, Jackson introduced the man.

“Jimin, this is Jaebum, but we just him JB. JB, Jimin,”

“Nice to finally meet you,” JB smiled as he offered Jimin his hand to shake. JB was gorgeous. His hair was black and was parted to show his forehead.

Jimin was surprised to see how nice and inviting JB’s smile was. After seeing how he whipped the men with the riding crop in the other room, he expected JB to be brooding and intimidating. But he was surprised to see how friendly JB’s eyes were, especially when he smiled wide. When Jimin put his hand in JB’s to shake, he was taken aback by how tightly JB gripped his hand. It didn’t feel threatening but rather competitive, like JB was challenging Jimin, to do what, Jimin wasn’t sure, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t intrigued. Jimin sat down next to Jackson across from JB.

“He’s cuter than I imagined,” JB said to Jackson without taking his eyes off Jimin.

“Don’t let his looks fool you, he’s a dom so don’t get too excited,” Jackson said as he winked at Jimin.

“Did you forget? You were a dom, too, till you met me,” JB responded, finally looking at a blushing Jackson.

Jimin had never seen Jackson blush before, it was cute. But it also pissed Jimin off. Jimin wanted to make Jackson blush like that. The fact that he hadn’t made Jimin angry at JB, jealous even. He was never able to hide his emotions so when he looked back at JB with contempt written all over his face, JB smiled knowing that he was getting under Jimin’s skin. Ah, so this was the game he wanted to play?

This wasn’t the first time that Jimin has gotten drunk. Maybe it was the sinful atmosphere or maybe he was subconsciously trying to get back at Jungkook for ignoring him. Either way, Jimin had no concrete explanation for what drove him to be so assertive at that moment. Maybe he was just sick and tired of being pushed around. He wanted to do the pushing for once.

“What makes you think it’ll be the same for me?” This was Jimin’s challenge to JB.

Jackson looked between JB and Jimin a little troubled by the intensity that was being transferred between them.

“Ooh, he’s bold!” Yugyeom acclaimed.

Though it was unnecessarily loud, Yugyeom’s cheer was enough for the two to stop silently threatening each other. Jackson was relieved for the interruption any tried his best to change the subject.

“Was that all for tonight?” Jackson asked Yugyeom.

“Yeah, it was pretty slow tonight,” Yugyeom responded.

“Everyone’s laying low since the Ghost is all pissy again,” BamBam added.

“His phony ass,” JB muttered as he scrolled through his phone.

“Would you stop calling him phony? It’s so rude,” Yugyeom reprimanded.

“It’s true, though. Even though, technically, he’s not the boss, everyone knows he’s in charge. I don’t like being managed by somebody I’ve never even seen,” JB responded as he placed his phone on the table face down.

Yugyeom scoffed, “I’d understand your anger if you actually followed the Ghost’s rules. Admit it, even with or without the Ghost you’d be doing your own thing, anyway,”

JB didn’t respond, he only smiled smugly and shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. He looked back at Jimin and winked, pissing Jimin off even more.

Jimin was surprised. Instead of imagining himself punching JB, he imagined JB naked and on his knees in front of him with his hands tied behind his back just like the men were on their knees for JB. Instead of blindfolding JB, however, Jimin wanted JB to look up at him with those dark desperate eyes. Desperate for Jimin’s attention. The image made Jimin smile.

“Hey,” Jackson poked Jimin’s shoulder to get his attention, “your phone is ringing,”

Jimin blinked before realizing that, indeed, his phone was vibrating in his pocket. He dug it out to see that Yoongi was calling him. He didn’t answer because he didn’t want Yoongi to know that he was in the club so he waited for the phone to stop ringing before he texted Yoongi what’s up. Jimin also looked to see if Jungkook had texted him back, only to find that he hadn’t. Jimin gritted his teeth in frustration before his attention was pulled away by JB.

“You shouldn’t scrunch up your pretty face, no matter how angry you are,” JB cooed.

“How do you know I’m angry,” Jimin wondered.

“I can read people, it’s my specialty,”

“Really?” Jimin replied sardonically.

“Mhm, of course, that’s not the only thing I’m good at,” JB responded suggestively as he leaned over the table, staring deeply into Jimin’s eyes.

Jimin was going to respond with a witty response of his own but his phone vibrated again. He unlocked it to see that Yoongi had texted him back.

 

**Yoongi:** _Why didn’t you pick up when I called?_ [Sent 12:45 PM]

**Yoongi:** _Where are you? Can we talk?_

 

Jimin was worried, Yoongi never contacted him first to talk about anything so it must’ve been something serious. No matter how much fun Jimin had, he would never leave his friends, especially when they needed him.

“Hey,” Jimin spoke into Jackson’s ear, “I have to go now. It’s important,”

“Of course,” Jackson smiled, “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, my friend just needs me,”

Jackson patted Jimin’s back, “Such a loyal friend. Alright, I’ll walk you out,”

“Aw, you’re leaving? But we barely got to talk,” BamBam whined when he saw Jackson and Jimin standing from the table.

“Will this be our last time seeing you?” Yugyeom asked.

“Tonight was…” Jimin began but was cut off.

“Tonight was nothing, you should be here when the Ghost is in a good mood,” BamBam exclaimed. “All the town’s money is here when the sun goes down, know what that means?” BamBam answered his own question by pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket and fanning himself with it.

Jimin subtly touched the pocket where he stuffed the money he got from Mr. Choi. Even though it was significantly less than what BamBam got, he still had made so much money for not doing much, and that was considered nothing? Jimin couldn’t help but be a little intrigued by how much he could make on a good day. Plus, he wanted to make JB beg on his knees for him. At that moment, Jimin couldn’t really tell which was more important, but both convinced him to come back for another night.

“Hit me up on a good night and I might just come through,” Jimin said as he smiled and turned to walk away.

“It wasn’t too bad, right?” Jackson said as he walked with Jimin to exit the club.

Jimin didn’t respond but he did give Jackson a smug smirk and a nonchalant shrug. Even though he was cool on the outside, he was excited and eager on the inside. It felt nice to be wanted even if it was by people he barely knew yet. As Jimin sauntered out of the club, shoulders swaying from side to side and Jackson walking beside but one step behind him, he felt bold. He realized how boring it was waiting for Jungkook to notice him, he was tired of waiting. Why would he wait for someone who would never give Jimin what he truly wanted when so much was here at the club, ripe for the taking? Jimin decided that he was just going to start taking. Taking money, status, and glory. If he couldn’t have Jungkook then he would just take everything else.

He wanted it all at that point and there was nothing that would stop him from getting it.

 

 

 

 

 

“Taehyung, aren’t you too young to be lounging on my couch like some old grumpy grandpa?” Ms. Jung asked from the kitchen as she was chopping carrots for the stew that she was making.

“How can I be grumpy when you’re with me?” Taehyung quipped from the couch as he flicked through the channels on the television.

“Charming. Wouldn’t you rather be with your friends, though?”

“I wouldn’t say I’d rather be with them, it’s just that they can carry better conversation than you,”

“Better than me?” Ms. Jung twirled around from the counter wagging the knife in the air as she spoke, “No one is better than me at holding conversation. I could sell eye glasses to a blind man,”

“Cliché,” Taehyung quipped as he stood up from the couch and walked to lean in the doorway of the kitchen. He studied Ms. Jung’s hourglass figure through her cream-colored silk house gown.

“Don’t you mean ‘touché?” Ms. Jung asked as she turned back around to start chopping celery.

“No, I meant cliché. As in everyone says that,”

“Well, I guess I’m everyone then,” Ms. Jung responded modestly.

“Stop it. No, you’re not,” Taehyung directed.

Ms. Jung didn’t respond. To anyone else it would have looked like she had just ignored what Taehyung had said, but Taehyung knew better. He saw the subtle way she crossed used her right leg to scratch the calf of her left leg. He saw the way her index finger tapped in a steady beat against the celery stick that she was holding against the cutting board. He knew he had gotten to her.

It had taken him years to learn all the quirks of Ms. Jung. What things pissed her off, what things made her happy. What to say to make her laugh, cry, slap you. It had taken him longer to learn what words made her sigh to release any sexual tension she was feeling, how to look at her to make her cross her legs to curb her sexual arousal. Ms. Jung was a challenge to figure out, but once Taehyung had gotten all the puzzle pieces in place, he’d been trying to get to a place where she saw him as a someone more than just her son’s best friend.

As expected, Ms. Jung had changed the subject when she mentioned offhandedly, “Shouldn’t Hoseok be here by now? The sun’s almost down and he’s still not back,”

“Must be having fun with his rich boyfriend,” Taehyung deadpanned.

“Sounds like someone’s jealous,”

Taehyung scoffed, “You wish,”

“Yes, I do wish actually. You two would be so cute together,” Ms. Jung said with her back still to Taehyung.

It was Taehyung’s turn to change the subject, “You’re making a lot of stew. I can eat a lot, but not that much,” he chirped.

“Sorry, sweetheart, but this isn’t for you. I met someone at the grocery store a few days ago, he’s coming by for dinner,”

“Ah,”

“Which means…if you don’t mind…”

Taehyung sniffed, “No worries, I have to go meet someone anyways. Tell me how it goes tomorrow, yeah?”

“Sure thing. Hey, you’re welcome to stay—“ Ms. Jung’s offer for Taehyung to eat before he left was cut off when the front door slammed closed. She jumped and turned to see that Taehyung was already gone.

Taehyung lied. He had no one to meet and nowhere to go. He wasn’t the type to get sentimental but he had been having a rough few weeks. He’d been feeling a type of way for a while, just this nagging feeling in the back of his brain. He wasn’t sure if he was being dramatic or if he was spot on, but lately he’d been feeling like his friends were ignoring him. Not only that, but also a felt like he wasn’t being taken seriously by the group. His input was overlooked, he was never in the loop of what the fuck was going on. For a while, he was used to it. It didn’t bother him when they ate together and everything he said was just carried with the steam of the food, never to be recognized. Whatever, at least he was with them, right? At least they still laughed at his clumsiness and called him friend, right?

But it was difficult. For some reason, just something in their eyes told Taehyung that they looked at him differently. But why? Did they think he was too slow to understand? Too childish to understand their dealings? Fuck that.

Taehyung sat on the curb of the street. There was no car nor foot traffic. But he waited, for what he didn’t know. Maybe he was waiting for Hoseok, he’s been gone for hours without a call or text to him nor his mother. Taehyung had texted Hoseok so much that Ms. Jung hid his phone away from him. So, there he sat on the street, phoneless and with nothing to do. But at least he had a splendid view of the sunset.

Taehyung didn’t know how long he had been sitting there lost in his thoughts after the sun had gone down, but the only reason why he was present again was because he heard footsteps coming from the left of him. He turned to see Jimin was walking towards him.

Taehyung stood and waved, “Hey, Jimin!”

Jimin lifted his hand in greeting, “Sup, Tae?” he said as he got closer to Taehyung.

“Nothing much. Where you headed?”

“Just out with a friend, you don’t know him,” Jimin said as he passed Taehyung.

Taehyung followed Jimin, “Can I tag along? I’ve been bored all day, I need a litt—“

“Sorry, Tae.” Jimin finally stopped and turned to face Taehyung, “It’s just—“

Taehyung held his hand up signaling Jimin to cease talking, “No worries. Just tell me how it goes later, yeah?” Taehyung deadpanned.

Jimin nodded and walked off, faster this time.

No worries. That was the second time that night that Taehyung had to tell someone to not worry. Not to worry about ditching him. Not to worry about where he would have to go so they could get their alone time. Not to worry about him. Not to worry like he was worrying about Jimin at that moment; where he was going, who he was meeting. Not to worry like he was worrying about Ms. Jung and whoever the hell she was meeting, what they were doing, would do.

But he wanted to be worried over, just a little bit. What was wrong with being worried over? It wasn’t like he wanted to be the center of attention, not at all. He just wanted to receive some attention. But not just any attention, attention from the people he actually cared about: his friends. No one asked him what he was up to when he was M.I.A. for days. The only exception to that was Hoseok but even he’s been different since he met that new guy. But Hoseok’s the type to stay true to himself no matter what crowd he’s in so did it make sense that one guy could change him so much? Taehyung thought hard but he couldn’t come up with one thing he had done to Hoseok to make him act that way.

It seemed everyone was moving on. Jimin had new friends, Hoseok had a new boyfriend. God knows what Yoongi, Namjoon, and Seokjin were always up to. Taehyung was the only one stagnant in the chapter of his life where his friends were always there whether he wanted them or not. But when he truly wanted them, needed them, they couldn’t make the time for him. Wasn’t he sick of playing safe? He was sick and tired of being the only one who seemed to care.

Taehyung turned back around towards Hoseok’s house. His strides were long and purposeful and his breathing was hard but steady. Though everyone always described him as calm and lethargic, it was only because Taehyung was constantly holding himself back. Constraining his desires, constricting his instinct to devour. Sure, Taehyung liked to share, but he loved to take more. And, from that point on, he was going to take and take and take some more.

Before he even realized it, Taehyung was back in front of Hoseok’s front door. He didn’t see any new cars parked in front of the house so he knew that whoever Ms. Jung was expecting wasn’t there yet. Good. He walked into the house without knocking and saw that Ms. Jung was still in the kitchen in the same house gown but she was standing next to the dining table texting on her phone. She looked up when Taehyung slammed the door closed and put her phone down to walk out of the kitchen expecting Hoseok.

She didn’t even have time to say hello before Taehyung had drove her into the wall, both of his hands on either side of her head, trapping her.

“Taehyung?! What are you doing?” Ms. Jung demanded as she shoved Taehyung’s chest.

She shoved him twice before he grabbed her tiny wrists with his one large hand and held them against the wall on top of her head. She struggled against Taehyung’s grip but it proved pointless since he was so much stronger than her. She stopped struggling and tried to catch her breath, her chest going up and down, catching Taehyung’s attention. Ms. Jung realized what Taehyung was there for and was going to contest and yell for him to fuck off but he leaned forward and glossed her cleavage with his tongue, using his teeth and lips to apply suction and nibbles to the sensitive area.

She wanted to spit out Taehyung’s name like it was sour and putrid bile, but the way his tongue caressed her breasts and the way his teeth grazed against her, making her nerves set on fire, the most she could get out was a breathy, “Tae…Ahh…”

Taehyung brought his lips up her chest, to her neck, her jaw, behind her ears. Ms. Jung knew this was wrong, but it had been so long since she had enjoyed something, someone, caressing her, loving her. Her desperation was the main reason why she had invited a stranger to her house in the first place, she wasn’t looking for a relationship, just a night to relieve the sexual tension that had been building up within her for so long. But this was Taehyung, her son’s best friend. She couldn’t do this.

“Tae…” She trailed off when Taehyung nibbled at her ear, “Taehyung, we can’t…you have to stop,” She gasped when he kissed down her jaw and sucked on her lower lip.

She pulled her face away and turned to the side inadvertently exposing more of her neck for Taehyung to continue tasting her skin. She took a deep breath and gathered her senses, putting all her energy into forcing her voice to be imposing.

“Taehyung. Get. Off. Now.”

“No.”

His quick response threw Ms. Jung off. What? No? What had gotten into him?

“N-no?” She sounded out, confused how dramatically Taehyung had changed in such a brief time.

Taehyung reversed the direction of his kisses, kissing down Ms. Jung’s cleavage and down her body, over her silk house gown. He pecked around her navel before nibbling at her inner thighs. He had to let go of her wrists to properly sit on his knees in front of her, so she took the opportunity push Taehyung’s shoulders in a last-ditch effort to stop this before it went too far. Taehyung responded by snaking his tongue out and grazing up her inner thigh from her knee to her pelvis. Ms. Jung groaned, unknowingly spreading her legs wider to make it easier for Taehyung to tease her. Ms. Jung gasped, shaking her head side-to-side as if reproaching Taehyung for his salacious actions but she bit her lip hard as if she was refusing to tell him to stop. Taehyung lifted Ms. Jung’s gown up to her belly button revealing white lace underwear that he knew he wasn’t supposed to see, but the fact that he was looking at it made him feel rewarded. He was finally doing something he’d always wanted to do and he was being rewarded for it.

This excitement encouraged Taehyung, but he also knew that he had not completely torn down all of Ms. Jung’s defenses. He saw how wet her panties already were, how warm and moist she must’ve been, so he wrapped his mouth around her warmth and used his tongue to soothe it. This was too much for Ms. Jung, she shoved Taehyung hard and he fell back. But he had gripped her thighs hard and pulled himself back up and rapidly and forcefully thrust his face between her legs, using his teeth to graze against her panties with a fervor that made Ms. Jung shriek and her knees wobble.

Taehyung wasted no time in pulling Ms. Jung’s panties down before lapping her juices greedily and nibbling at the bud of nerves that made her pull at his hair. The only sounds in the room were Ms. Jung’s desperate pants and Taehyung’s lips smacking and slurping against her center. However, the glorious orchestra of obscene sinful passion was crudely disturbed by a knocking on the front door. Taehyung didn’t remove his mouth from between Ms. Jung’s legs but he did look up at her with flaming eyes. They both knew who it was; the guy she had invited over to dinner. If it were Hoseok, who would have walking in. Taehyung’s eyes looked up to Ms. Jung, he wasn’t questioning anything but rather threatening. His eyes told her that, no matter what, he would have her that night and, if she opened that door to let that man in, Taehyung would tie that man down to a chair and make him watch as Taehyung possessed her.

Taehyung was finally getting what he wanted and he’d be damned if he let anyone take it. Not that lonely bastard waiting outside and not his friends, not anymore. His friends knew him more than anyone but it didn’t seem like they gave a shit about what he did anymore. And that was perfectly fine. Starting from that point, Taehyung was his own person, his own friend.

He let Ms. Jung take her time. He knew this was overwhelming for her, her son’s best friend devouring her core while some sad guy waited for her. But Taehyung did not give her any choices, it was either be fucked in private or have an audience. He was done giving people options because they always seemed to screw him over in the long run.

 The knock came again but this time Ms. Jung’s eyes glinted dangerously as she spoke.

“Ignore it.”


	8. Chapter 8: [Hoseok/Jisoo]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because it's been so long since I've updated and my schedule is so packed lately, I'm trying a new format that will allow me to update more often. I will be splitting chapter 8 into 6 sections. Basically, instead of writing out the whole chapter then posting, I will post each section of the chapter so we can all continue with the story.  
> Of course, this means that each update will be shorter.  
> But so far, I'm only planning on doing this for chapter 8 so bear with me!  
> I'm sorry if this bothers anybody but I thought it was better than nothing.

 Hoseok and Jisoo had been eating in silence on the sand for what seemed like an eternity. Jisoo didn’t say anything because Hoseok was quiet and Hoseok didn’t say anything because he honestly could not come up with one thing to say at that moment. Jisoo didn’t mind, however, because he used the silence as an excuse to watch Hoseok eat which was oddly satisfying. Hoseok was a modest eater, he didn’t overfill his mouth with food and he chewed his food for a long time before swallowing. Jisoo’s chest tightened as he watched Hoseok’s Adam’s apple bob when he swallowed and his heart fluttered when Hoseok’s dimples appeared when he pressed his lips together.

Hoseok could feel Jisoo’s stare on him and it made him both uncomfortable and excited. He was uncomfortable because he felt like he was a gazelle being stalked by a hungry leopard, but he was excited at the same time because he rarely was stared at like that by anyone let alone someone as handsome as Jisoo. But then the question hit him: Why was someone as handsome as Jisoo staring at him like that?

“You prepared all this food, don’t you want to eat it?” Hoseok asked, avoiding eye contact with Jisoo.

“Nah, I’m not really in the mood for food right now,” Jisoo replied.

“Then what are you in the mood for?” Hoseok asked with genuine curiosity.

Instead of verbally answering the question, Jisoo just gave Hoseok a sideways grin which was an answer all on its own.

“Shameless,” Hoseok scoffed as he continued to eat kimbap while staring at the beautiful expanse of water in front of him.

Jisoo chuckled as he, too, stared in the direction of the horizon. He was leaning back on his hands and he was looking up at the sky as he let the breeze from the tide run across his face and ease the stress of the summer heat.

Hoseok couldn’t help but stare at Jisoo now. He features were molded like a marble statue of a Greek god, his jawline was sharp and prominent and his lips were full and pink. His skin was smooth and tanned just slightly and contrasted so well with his shiny black hair that was curly and freely moving in the breeze. Jisoo could have been a model travelling the world and getting his picture taken by dozens of photographers but, instead, he was there with Hoseok.

Hoseok didn’t consider himself ugly, not in the slightest. But, in his friend group, he was never seen as the sexy boyfriend type but rather the goofy older brother. Hoseok didn’t mind that sort of image, but he also wanted to be someone’s sexy boyfriend. He wanted to make people’s heart flutter and their chest tighten but he was quickly coming to terms with the fact that, maybe, he would never have that effect on anyone. Well, he knew he didn’t have that effect on Taehyung and, most likely Yoongi, for that matter, but Jisoo was a different story. Hoseok honestly didn’t know if Jisoo really liked him or if he was just playing a game. But if it was all just a game, what was Jisoo hoping to get out of it? Hoseok’s eventual tears and broken heart? But could Jisoo be capable of dealing such harm?

Without thinking, Hoseok blurted out, “What do you think of when you see me?”

Taken aback, Jisoo stared at Hoseok with wide eyes for a few seconds before replying.

“Well, you have a very friendly and bubbly look which very much matches your personality. Kind of like a goofy brother?”

Hoseok fought the urge to roll his eyes at that comment. He really wanted to just dig a hole in the sand and hide in there forever. However, Jisoo continued.

“It makes you wonder, ‘Is this guy really capable of being sexy?’ Then you’d do things like lick your lips when you’re thinking of something to say or when you do that smile that isn’t your regular bubbly smile that makes your eyes crinkle but that smile that weakens knees because it’s the kind of smile you give when your boyfriend’s been acting up and you’re gonna punish him by fucking him hard all night long but not letting him cum until he apologizes and calls you ‘Daddy.’”

Hoseok could do nothing but blink. He wasn’t expecting any of that, especially after just being called a goofy brother. Jisoo stared back at Hoseok with a knowing smile on his face. Hoseok swallowed at the look Jisoo was giving him, again wondering if Jisoo meant what he said. Did he know that Hoseok wanted to hear that or was he expressing his true thoughts? Hoseok mentally cursed himself for having such a lack of trust and confidence.

Hoseok had to come up with a response quickly without stuttering so he forced out, “Very observant,”

“So, I’m right?” Jisoo asked with raised eyebrows.

At the question, a flashback from the time Hoseok woke up naked under a pile of men who were all supposedly dominated by an aggressive side of himself that he didn’t even knew he had surfaced.

“Apparently,” Hoseok said as he chuckled under his breath and rubbed the back of his neck in mild embarrassment.

Jisoo grinned calmly as he eyed Hoseok. His ears were turning bright red and he knew that Hoseok was feeling a bit awkward, but Jisoo himself was quite composed. He rather liked the idea of an aggressive Hoseok when it came to sexual pleasure. It was almost like something erotic and animalistic overtook Hoseok and changed him from a cute energetic goofball into an instinctual and sex starved fiend that wanted do to nothing else but please and be pleased. Jisoo would have lost himself to his thoughts if Hoseok hadn’t had asked him a question.

“Doesn’t that make us incompatible, though?”

“What?” Jisoo asked taken aback once again.

“I mean, two dominant people won’t really work out well—“ Hoseok began.

“Who said I was dominant?” Jisoo interrupted.

“You…you’re not…” Hoseok couldn’t properly form a sentence after Jisoo’s revelation. As confident and assertive as Jisoo was in his daily life, Hoseok expected that he would be the same in bed.

“Nope,” Jisoo answered curtly but patiently before continuing, “With the type of work I do, being in charge hundreds of people and handling countless business dealings, there’s nothing more I want than to give up a bit of control with someone I trust,”

Hoseok nodded in understanding before realizing that this was the first time Jisoo had spoken about his work. It, once again, occurred to Hoseok how little he truly knew about Jisoo. He couldn’t say that he was bored with the risky flirtation, but he didn’t want to accidentally fall in love with a stranger.

“So, what do you do?” Hoseok asked quickly changing the subject from the sexual to the industrial.

“I work for my dad,” Jisoo replied easily.

“Oh, what does he do?” Hoseok didn’t want to sound nosy but he wanted to learn more about Jisoo. That wasn’t a crime, right?

“He’s the founder of…a corporation. He’s passing the business to me but before he does that he wants to make sure that I’m suited for the job by making me handle all the dirty work, you know?”

“I guess I do.” Hoseok replied thoughtfully, “Like the business deals you mentioned before, right?”

“Exactly. Money extraction, establishing an official standing as the top association, things like that,” Jisoo replied offhandedly. He gave Hoseok a questioning look when he began to laugh.

“Money extraction? Sounds so intense,” Hoseok giggled.

Jisoo balked at his oversight and rapidly tried to fix his mistake, “I meant to say collection. Debts, fees, loans…” Jisoo trailed off hoping Hoseok wouldn’t become suspicious.

“Basically, just a typical financing corporation,” Hoseok summarized.

“Exactly,” Jisoo answered relieved.

Jisoo never wanted Hoseok to know what he did for a living. He didn’t know how plausible that would be considering how strong of a presence Agma, his father’s mob, had over the small town, but he would damn sure try his hardest to delay Hoseok finding out. He was honestly ashamed of his work and he tried to run away from his father and Agma a long time ago but he couldn’t leave his mother and sister alone with his father who tended to release all his anger and stress on both the innocent townsfolk and his family. He, his mother, and his sister all have various scars marring their bodies detailing moments when their father had gotten angry after a betrayal in the mob, a bad deal, or a loss of profits and taken it out on them.

Jisoo wanted nothing to do with his father and the violence that surrounded him but, if he wanted to protect his mother and sister, he forced himself to swallow his fear and anger and worked under his father.

It wasn’t until he began the mob work that he realized how severely broken he became growing up under his father. After decades of unforgiving violence at the hands of his father, Jisoo felt incomplete if he didn’t hear the screams of pain from a person who didn’t pay his loan back on time or the cries for mercy from a desperate shop owner who couldn’t pay his monthly dues.

Jisoo knew he was broken, that he was imbalanced, and he blamed his father. He hated his father but he hated the fact that his father was loved by so many. Too many men in the mob were intensely loyal to his father, there was no way that he could get away with what he really wanted to do to that sick old man. The roars of agony that exploded out of the numerous people he hurt were only temporary fixes for his sickness. But the cries of suffering slurred by his father would be the permanent solution to his mental imbalance.

That was Jisoo’s ultimate goal: to kill his father in the most heinous way. However, coming up with the methods to kill his father was easier than actually coming up with a functional plan to be able to do it. Jisoo knew the best method to open the way to getting his hands on his father would be to find disgruntled low-level mobsters within Agma and convince them that backing Jisoo and going against his father would be rewarding. However, there were too many loyal mobsters under his father and, if Jisoo weren’t careful, someone would quickly report his intrusions to his father.

Jisoo knew it would take a while before he could finally exact revenge against his father for his sins but, for this, he had all the patience in the world.

“You okay? You seem stressed,” Hoseok queried, dragging Jisoo out of his deep reverie.

Jisoo smiled to reassure Hoseok before responding, “Yeah, it’s just all this talk about work. Let’s make a rule: When we’re together, no talking about work, yeah?” Jisoo sincerely offered.

Hoseok was his escape from all the viciousness and sorrow that was associated with Agma. Jisoo only wanted to talk about nice, and even erotic, things with Hoseok. He didn’t want to be reminded of all the terrible things that he did on a daily basis.

Jisoo was relieved when Hoseok gave his usual bright smile and agreed.

Jisoo hadn’t realized how long they’d been talking until he turned back to the horizon and saw that the sky was a glorious mix of deep reds, purples, and blues and the sky was halfway through its decent into the water.

“Shit, it’s gonna be dark soon. I should get you home,” Jisoo said looking back to Hoseok. The sunset was the perfect complement to Hoseok’s honey skin and dark eyes. The warm colors bounced off his face and gave him an almost majestic aura that made it impossible for Jisoo to look away.

Jisoo saw how Hoseok’s lips turned down slightly at his words and he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel the same. Though all they did was sit, eat, and talk, it was the most comfortable that Jisoo had felt in so long. Hoseok was even more surprised that, excluding in the very beginning, not one thought of Taehyung or Yoongi had invaded his thoughts.

After gathering their things, Jisoo lead the way back to his car holding Hoseok’s hand for reassurance since they had to climb the rocks. They drove back to Hoseok’s house in a comfortable silence where each man stole glances of the other while they thought the other wasn’t looking.

Hoseok eyed Jisoo’s hand that rested on the gear and, before he could convince himself not to, he slyly slipped his hand into Jisoo’s and gripped it. It was different than when Jisoo had held his hands when climbing the rocks, this grip was more intimate. Hoseok released a relieved breath he didn’t realize he was holding when Jisoo squeezed his hand in return. He smiled shyly before looking back out the window to see the dock filled with dozens of metal containers probably containing all types of imports from several countries.

The car ride was much shorter than expected, even with Jisoo going half the speed he usually drove at. Parked in front of his house, Hoseok eyed the structure like he had never seen the house before. He lingered in the car, still holding Jisoo’s hand.

Jisoo couldn’t contain his smile seeing Hoseok hesitating to leave, and he was honestly going to just drive off again and take Hoseok home, but his plans were ruined when his phone beeped. He looked down to see a text from his sister.

**Noona:** I’ve got some new information on Kim. Meet me and our guy at the docks at 10 before the club opens.

_[Sent 9:01 PM]_

Jisoo took another look outside and saw that the sky had darkened significantly now. He sighed as he put his phone down and looked over at Hoseok.

“Work,” Jisoo explained, “Come on, I’ll walk you to the door,” Jisoo got out of the car and, with his long legs, strode to Hoseok’s side to open the door for him. They walked to the front door, stopping just in front of the door and faced each other.

“Thanks for today,” Hoseok couldn’t come up with anything else to say.

“I should thank you, too,” Jisoo replied. Hoseok could only nod, not sure how to respond. “Is that all you can say to your boyfriend?” Jisoo joked.

“Boy—oh right,” Hoseok had forgotten that Jisoo was supposed to be his boyfriend instead of a flirty friend.

Jisoo pouted, “Don’t tell me you forgot,”

“No, it’s not…that. I just…didn’t think you were serious?” Hoseok attempted to explain himself. Suddenly, the floor became so entertaining as he stared at it rather than Jisoo’s deep eyes and pouting lips.

“Trust me, I was very serious,”

Jisoo placed both hands on the sides of Hoseok’s face and dragged his face back up to his. He stared into Hoseok’s eyes only for a short while before he brought his face closer to Hoseok’s to kiss him deeply. Hoseok was tense underneath him but Jisoo couldn’t wait for him since he had to meet his sister soon so he flicked his tongue out to brush against Hoseok’s lower lip. Hoseok gasped, opening his mouth to allow Jisoo’s curious tongue to explore deeper into Hoseok’s warm mouth. The sensual stimulation took over Hoseok’s senses and, soon, Hoseok began to dominate the kiss, much to the pleasure of Jisoo who gladly submitted. Jisoo dropped his hands to grip Hoseok’s shirt at his pelvis while Hoseok gripped the back of Jisoo’s neck. Hoseok’s other hand trailed down Jisoo’s back on its way to grip his ass, however, just as his hand trailed the dip of Jisoo’s back, the front door of the house swung open, cutting the air harshly.

“HOSEOK! WHY HAVEN’T YOU BEEN ANSWERING—“ A booming voice commanded before cutting off quickly, then meekly adding, “your phone…?”

Hoseok quickly shoved himself off Jisoo and turned to look into the doorway to see Taehyung and Yoongi standing there with wide eyes and open mouths. Taehyung gawked at Hoseok as if he had just grown two heads while Yoongi stared at Jisoo as if Jisoo had just killed his dog.

After the initial shock subsided, Taehyung lowered his gaze and glared at the very little space between Jisoo’s and Hoseok’s panting chests. His lips were pressed into a thin line and his fists were clenched but he remained still and quiet. Yoongi’s face faded back into its usual impassiveness but his eyes burned a fire so strong and dark. Fiercer than Hoseok has ever seen. Contrasted to the tense mood, however, Jisoo had a large and calm smile on his face. His shuffling feet revealed that he was surprised by the situation, but his grin showed that he was quite amused by the whole thing.

Trying to break the awkward atmosphere, Hoseok spoke up, “Uhm, guys? This is my boyfriend, Ji—“

“Get in the house,” Yoongi interrupted and dragged Hoseok into the house, slamming the door shut behind him.

“What the hell’s the problem?!” Hoseok demanded as he pulled his arm out of Yoongi’s possessive grip.

“Why haven’t you been answering your goddamned phone, Hoseok?” Yoongi raised his voice at Hoseok for the first time ever. Hoseok seemed taken aback but he countered anyway.

“I got a new phone! I was going to give you my new number when I got back home!”

“You couldn’t have given one of us a warning before you just go and change your shit like that? You had us worried sick!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you wanted an hourly update on what goes on in the life of Jung Hoseok,”

“Right, smart ass. How could you even afford a new phone, anyway, huh?”

“That’s not any of your fucking business!”

“Don’t tell me your ‘boyfriend’ bought it for you. Really, Hoseok?!”

“Excuse me for wanting to be treated for once in my fucking life,”

“Treated? If you wanted to be treated so badly, you could have just asked—“

“Who? You? The guy who kisses me one night but then doesn’t give me the time of day the next?”

Yoongi was speechless. He didn’t think Hoseok remembered that night at all. Hoseok jumped at Yoongi’s hesitation.

“What? You thought I’d just let you use me whenever you felt a little horny and not question you?”

“It’s not like that-- ” Yoongi murmured, his voice subdued and defeated.

“Do me a favor, Yoongi. Fuck off.”

Hoseok stormed away and locked himself in his room leaving a stunned Yoongi and confused Taehyung behind.


	9. Chapter 8: Seokjin/Namjoon

Seokjin leaned against his black Cadillac parked in the back of Erotica as he waited for Namjoon to come out. He sighed. After several ambushed exchanges, they had been losing profits left and right, making current dealings very difficult to see through. The meeting Seokjin and Namjoon were going to was crucial to gaining prominence and becoming an equal rival to Agma.

Surprisingly, Namjoon’s father detested the bloodshed that accompanied gang rivalry so he never participated in the competition to become the most powerful group. Instead, he maintained his position as the strict and fair leader rather than a bloodthirsty ambitious goon who had no room for mercy or clemency. His maxim, “For what is built by bullets shall be destroyed by bullets,” was a potent mantra that guided his men. They could not persuade nor be persuaded by bullets, thus, their name, Bangtan, bulletproof, signified their solid foundation as a formidable presence.

Due to this, Namjoon’s father was regarded as an impartial and mighty chief but Seokjin saw him as a pushover. Because of Namjoon’s father, Agma gained the backing of the town’s mayor and unlimited influence in the town. Because of Namjoon’s father, Seokjin’s restaurant was never truly his. Because of Namjoon’s father, Seokjin was tortured, stalked, and forever scarred by Kim Jisoo.

For this reason, Seokjin did not mind the bloodshed that came with competition. In fact, he adored it. Causing pain to the people who stood by, or worse, laughed as he was tormented by Jisoo was Seokjin’s favorite past time. Seeing someone cry in pain was the only way Seokjin could laugh.

Though Seokjin was like this, he was not himself. He hated seeing the morose way Namjoon looked at him and he hated the way the room would quiet down when he walked into it. But, most of all, he hated the way Namjoon would flinch whenever Seokjin made the smallest unexpected movements. Seokjin and Namjoon were supposed to be equal partners but, because Seokjin could not control his fear, anger, or despair, Seokjin, with his words and hands, beat Namjoon down until he couldn’t even hold eye contact with Seokjin for more than a few seconds.

Seokjin could not come to terms with the fact that he had let one man contort his character and change him into a man incapable of love, compassion, or sympathy. However, he had convinced himself that, once he exacted revenge on the one man responsible for his shattered disposition, he could, finally, go back to who he used to be. He could, finally, hold Namjoon without having the urge to wrap his hand around his throat and squeeze until tears fell from Namjoon’s eyes. That’s what Seokjin really wanted but he believed that the only way to get to that point would be to do to Kim Jisoo what he did to Seokjin.

Seokjin was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice that Namjoon had come out of the club until the car door slammed. Seokjin turned around and saw Namjoon sitting in the back staring straight ahead. Seokjin wasted no time getting in the car, sitting in the back as well.

Namjoon didn’t say a word nor look over to Seokjin when he entered the car, just nodded for the chauffeur to begin driving. Seokjin looked over at Namjoon and couldn’t understand how he could ever want to cause even a scratch to that man’s body. His skin was so smooth, his ears so small and cute, his lips so plump and hydrated. Seokjin’s eyes travelled down to Namjoon’s long legs that looked even longer in his black suit pants. Namjoon’s features were strong just like his nature and it made Seokjin wonder how he was able to overpower and command Namjoon the way he did. The answer was obvious: it was because Namjoon let him. Was it because Namjoon trusted Seokjin not to go overboard? Was it because Namjoon loved Seokjin so much that he was willing to allow Seokjin to control him? Seokjin didn’t know the reason, but he admired Namjoon for staying by his side when he was such a rotten bastard.

Namjoon shifted closer to the door closest to him, further away from Seokjin, and it was obvious that he was uncomfortable being under Seokjin’s gaze. Seokjin wanted to scream, “Don’t be afraid of me! I’m sorry for hurting you, but I can’t help it! Please wait for me.” But he couldn’t. He just couldn’t.

Before long, they had arrived at their destination: an abandoned warehouse that looked decrepit on the outside, but it was refurbished on the inside with maple furniture and red accent rugs. Namjoon stepped out of the car as soon as it was parked, leaving Seokjin behind. Seokjin was surprised, not by Namjoon’s cold behavior, but by how quickly he rushed out of the car following closely behind Namjoon. It just went to show how much of a push and pull relationship they were in. They would each do things to push the other away but couldn’t stand to be too far away from each other at the same time. It was a confusing relationship, one that couldn’t be understood by onlookers nor Seokjin and Namjoon.

Namjoon stepped to the warehouse entrance that was blocked by a metal shutter and knocked twice. The shrill metallic pounding caused a shiver to run down Seokjin’s spine, reminding him of the time when he was locked in a dark warehouse alone and cold, that same metallic knock a reminder of the unwelcome visitor that would bruise and mar his body. Namjoon also knew that Seokjin hated warehouses and, despite his icy manner, he glanced at Seokjin to give him a once over and was a little nervous to see how pale his friend was. Seokjin’s eyes shifted and he was blinking a lot but, besides that, his friend’s face showed no hint that he was petrified.

Seokjin flinched when the warehouse shutter shot upwards and he could barely gain his bearings before Namjoon walked into the warehouse. Seokjin followed closely behind, so close that his shoulder kept brushing against Namjoon’s shoulder blade as they walked further inside.

Positioned perfectly in the center of the spacious room was a long marble table with ten matching chairs around it. Only one of the seats was occupied at the head of the table by a man wearing the typical black suit and red tie with a gold tie clip. His hair was graying but his groomed facial hair was still black. He had an intelligent look with small shifty eyes that made him look trustworthy but conniving at the same time.

“Mr. Choi,” Namjoon quipped as he got closer to the table. He put his hand out and Mr. Choi stood up to shake his hand. Mr. Choi offered his hand to Seokjin who, also, returned the gesture.

“Namjoon. Seokjin,” Mr. Choi greeted curtly but pleasantly.

“Hope you haven’t been waiting long,” Namjoon said, his voice so charismatic and powerful, the complete opposite of how he was alone with Seokjin.

“Not at all,” Mr. Choi responded, “Please sit.”

The men did as they were told, Namjoon sat directly opposite Mr. Choi and Seokjin sat to Namjoon’s right.

“The reason why we called you out of the blue, Mr. Choi, is because we need more time before we can pay you the rest of the balance in your account.” Namjoon stated, business mode in full effect.

“Straight to the point,” Mr. Choi chuckled dryly, “Just like your father.” Mr. Choi shifted in his seat to lean over the table slightly, “And may I ask why you are not able to pay me what you owe?”

“We have some unexpected setbacks lately,” Namjoon began but when Mr. Choi wagged his fingers in a signal to continue, Namjoon was forced to explain, “Some of our transactions were waylaid recently and we were relying on those deals to be able to pay you.”

“Is that so?” Mr. Choi said thoughtfully, “Do you know who ordered those hits?”

Namjoon shrugged, “If we knew, we wouldn’t be here right now,” he chuckled.

“True. But this is very sudden. Bangtan hasn’t been hit in decades, not since your father was in charge. Why do you think this is happening now?”

“Honestly,” Namjoon sighed through his nose and he leaned back against the chair, “I have no idea. But I have my most able men looking into it. It’s not detrimental right now, but we are feeling the effects. I hope this doesn’t inconvenience you too much.”

“Well, it’s good that you called me out here. You see, I also have been experiencing a few setbacks these past few months, especially regarding the bridge.”

“Go on,” This time Namjoon was the one to lean over the table with folded hands.

“It’s the new mayor, that irritating bastard. He changed the bridge protocols making our previous blueprints against procedures. On top of that, the concrete we were going to used were also deemed insufficient by the mayor so we need to wait a little longer for the correct concrete to be imported. And that’s just going to be another import fee we’ll have to pay Agma.” Mr. Choi sighed in exasperation.

“Don’t worry about the import fee,” Namjoon said in a calm tone, “We’ll handle that for you. As a consolation for the trouble. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good to me. Business should be up and running again soon and the money will be flowing in in no time,” Mr. Choi beamed.

“Great—“ Namjoon began to sit up and end the meeting when Seokjin’s voice halted his movements.

“Do you think it will be that easy?” Seokjin deadpanned.

“Pardon?” Mr. Choi questioned with wide eyes at the unfamiliar voice.

Both Namjoon’s and Mr. Choi’s eyes were on Seokjin and, in the setting of the warehouse, it made him uncomfortable. But he swallowed and continued.

“If this new mayor has been obstructing the construction of our bridge when we’re still in the drawing stage, what makes you believe that he will stay quiet now?”

Mr. Choi pressed his lips together and raised his eyebrows, it was a good point. Namjoon seemed to agree with Seokjin as he looked to Mr. Choi to answer the question but he stayed silent.

“Well,” Namjoon pondered, “The only way to ensure that our bridge gets built without any further hindrances is if we give him a share of the profits,”

Mr. Choi looked back and forth between Namjoon and Seokjin gauging their reactions. Neither man did more than blink, which scared Mr. Choi just a little.

“If we add a third party, how much will our individual shares decrease?” Mr. Choi asked.

“This bridge will connect this town to the province across the river and open new markets. With Agma controlling the docks, the bridge is the only way for us to export and import without a tremendous fee. And with the recent waylaid shipments, we need the lost profits as soon as possible. This bridge must be built no matter what. Not to mention there will be increased traffic to our town by visitors, the mayor should be happy about that.”

“Building the bridge under the nose of Agma will definitely cause some trouble. We’re prepared for it, but it would be nice if we had the mayor on our side,” Seokjin continued for Namjoon.

“Bangtan is the biggest importer in the town, so if we stop paying the import fee, that’s a lot of money Agma loses. They will not let us go without a fight,” Mr. Choi added.

“We just have to make sure that the mayor will accept our offer to share the profits,” Namjoon asserted.

Before Namjoon could respond, Mr. Choi shot back, “Do you know what you’re suggesting? Exposing Bangtan to the mayor, the man the police answer to. If he doesn’t accept our offer and, instead, investigates this situation, will you be responsible if one of us goes down?”

“Bangtan was inherited by my father from his father. That’s a generation’s worth of history. Don’t you think if there was something the police could actually pin on us, they would have found it by now? They can try, but they can’t put us away.” Namjoon answered easily.

“But the cash…” Mr. Choi said meekly.

“Is that all you’re worried about, then?” Namjoon teased.

“Well, it’s the main reason why I’m doing this and risking my ass for you, anyway,” Mr. Choi replied.

“Oh? I thought this was repayment for my father partnering with you all those years back. He’s the reason why you’re sitting in front of me right now, I mean, construction is a nice business, but it isn’t 24 karat gold tie clips nice,” Namjoon said as he eyed Mr. Choi’s tie.

Mr. Choi frowned and fondled his tie, tapping his gold tie clip before muttering, “Is it a sin to want a reward for your hard work?”

“Of course not. But the reward needs to be proportional to the work, don’t you agree?”

“But with something as abstract as money, it becomes hard to determine proportionality. Who gets to decide how much is enough?” Mr. Choi responded craftily.

“We do,” Seokjin retorted.

Mr. Choi snorted in amusement but when he saw how serious both men were he quickly straightened out. “Then what do you suggest we do?” Mr. Choi asked defeated.

 “I’ll meet the mayor. Gauge him out. If it goes smoothly, construction can continue no problem,” Namjoon said breezily.

“And if it doesn’t?” Mr. Choi murmured.

Namjoon gave a crooked smirk that darkened his eyes, “Then this is gonna be one hell of a summer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I got good karma because my workload has decreased a LOT. Which means.....more updates!  
> Since I have lots of extra time, my next update will definitely be longer!  
> Thanks for your patience, I really do appreciate it, Lovelies!  
> abx


	10. Boy Next Door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know. I know. I have no excuses. This took really long to write mostly due to lack of ideas, procrastination, and the fact that writing for Jungkook is really hard for me. I don't know why but his parts are the hardest. You guys probably forgot what the hell has happened in the story and that's my fault. I'll try my best and work harder!!
> 
> abx

Jungkook stretched his tired limbs and rolled to his side. He slowly pulled his eyes open and saw a piece of paper folded in half left on the pillow next to him. He saw his name written on the top of the paper so he sat up to clear his head and lift the paper. He unfolded it and read the note written with careful cute strokes.

“Jungkook—

My roommates and I had to leave for work but there was no food here so I called my friend to get you something. He should be there around 9. He doesn’t know the passcode for the apartment so you better open the door for him or starve.

Kisses,

Jisoo”

Jungkook smiled at the extra step Jisoo had taken for him. But what really caught Jungkook’s attention in that letter was the fact that he was in an apartment. He looked around the room again and was surprised at how large just this room was. In fact, it was at least two times larger than his room and he lived in a house. Even though it was a small house, it was still a house.

Jungkook looked to the bedside table to his left and saw a clock that read 8:23 PM. _Good,_ he thought. He would have enough time to explore this place before Jisoo’s friend came with some much-needed food. The wall on his far left was completely covered by thick grey curtains that blocked out all light in the room. Jungkook moved to plant his feet on the floor and was physically shocked by how cold the floor was. He looked down to see the most lustrous ebony wooden flooring which, Jungkook just knew, cost a lot of money. Jungkook bent over to touch the floor but his bruised ribs protested vehemently so he quickly straightened back up and, to relax his breathing, he leaned back on his hands.

Jungkook squeezed his hands into fists and inadvertently got the sheets of the bed between his grip. The posh wooden floor was a surprise but the striking softness of the sheets baffled Jungkook. He didn’t realize that this was his first time actually looking at the bed that he spent almost an entire day sleeping in. He ran his fingers over the sheets and he realized why he was able to rest so soundly. The entire bed was covered in silk, from the duvet to the pillowcase. Everything was silky and grey, matching the curtains on the wall.

Jungkook scanned the room again and noticed the furniture around the room was black just like the floor. He ran his fingers along the bedside table and the feel of it was very familiar. Ignoring his screaming ribs, he bent over and ran his fingers on the floor, and the resemblance was uncanny. It was the same wood used to make the furniture and the flooring.  Suddenly, a lot of things began to make sense. This room wasn’t just decorated well, but it was designed. Jungkook eyed the curtains one more time before standing off the bed and walking slowly towards them. He tried his best to not aggravate his injuries but his curiosity got the best of him.

He reached out in front of him to feel the curtains and they were made from a rough material that was thick, cotton maybe? He tried to pull the curtains apart but it was impossible. They were heavy but they weren’t heavy enough to withstand Jungkook’s efforts to separate them. Jungkook tried one more time to pull the curtains apart but his sore shoulders set on fire. He dropped his arms and stepped back from the enemy he didn’t even know he had. Those curtains mocked him, hiding whatever was behind them outstandingly well. Why were they stuck? Were they broken? Jungkook from side to side as he tried to look for something, anything, that would help him pull the curtains apart. He looked to the right of the curtain and saw nothing and turned to the left, but something on the corner of his eye caught his attention. The room, overall, was a harmony of grey and ebony, but there was a stark white switch on the wall. Jungkook was giddy to play with the switch so he skipped to it and stared at it. It was a regular switch with three small buttons vertically positioned. There were no labels so Jungkook just guessed and pressed the button in the center. Nothing happened, so Jungkook pressed the top button. Immediately, the room became slightly brighter but no lights were turned on. Jungkook turned to his right to see that the curtains were pulling apart on their own. He stepped back in admiration and moved back to the middle of the room to look at what was behind the curtains.

Jungkook’s jaw dropped and his eyes enlarged as he came face to face with the sunset. The sky was filled with a lovely concoction of oranges, pinks, purples, and colors that he wouldn’t be able to describe even if he was given all the time in the world. The curtains were covering a window that took up the entire wall creating a beautiful sight. Jungkook walked closer and his heart skipped a beat when he saw just how high in the sky he truly was. He saw the roofs of buildings around him and the docks way out in the distance and it all clicked for him where he was.

Though this town was not very rich in the past, many investors and entrepreneurs came and shook up the economy making it grow faster than it had in over two decades. The flourishing economy attracted more businesses, however, they only concentrated themselves downtown leaving the outskirts, or boondocks as the newcomers liked to call it, discarded. Jungkook and the rest of his friends, except Namjoon and Seokjin, lived out in the “boondocks” and the only reason they went downtown was when they went clubbing.

It was inevitable that the town was separated between the rich and the not so rich. People like Jungkook and his family didn’t really experience a change to their modest lifestyle, except for slightly decreased prices on local things, but it was a different story downtown. Modern buildings, designer stores, foreign cars, and beautiful people filled the streets of downtown. Basically, the newcomers were already rich, but the town made them even richer. It was like two different worlds. Really, it was something out of a dystopian novel.

_So, this is how the other side lives,_ Jungkook thought. A dark sensation settled within Jungkook’s stomach. It wasn’t that he was jealous of the drastic difference between his life and the life of the rich investors who came, it was deeper than that. He felt like the third child of seven siblings, ignored, casted off, and rejected. While these people probably got new cars every other month, Jungkook’s father was stuck driving the same worn out truck whose engine turned off every time it stayed still for too long. Where was the increased wealth to his family and his friends?

Suddenly, Jungkook really wanted to leave the apartment. Gradually, everything in the room that he admired began to leave a nasty taste in his mouth. Jisoo’s image was tainted in Jungkook’s mind just for being able to live in such a place. Jungkook didn’t completely hate her nor was he even jealous. On the outside he was perturbed, but he was feeling a deep sense of insignificance. He was always a competitive person but he knew that he would never be able to compete with someone who already started at the finishing line. The one thing Jungkook hated the most in life was feeling diminished or less than, and that was exactly how he felt at that moment.

Jungkook swiftly turned away from the window and quickly gathered his belongings, which was just his phone and wallet, and stormed out of the room ignoring his aching muscles. He couldn’t even spare a final glance at Jisoo’s letter that still lay on the pillow. When he exited the room, he saw a black railing that overlooks the lower part of the apartment. He looked to his left and right, which he seemed to be doing a lot in this place, and saw that there was one more door to the right, which was probably Jisoo’s roommate’s room, and a stairway that led downstairs. He went down the stairs as quickly as possible on his tiptoes because the floor was made from a white and grey marble that was cold to the touch.

There was a black leather couch in the center of the downstairs area that faced a stone fireplace with a large flat screen television was hanging above. The wall to the left was also another window that overlooked downtown but on a different angle. There was a kitchen with a matching marble island, and black electric stove, refrigerator, and cabinets. This apartment was definitely designed by Jisoo and whoever else lived with her. The apartment was beautiful, gorgeous, magnificent. But Jungkook still wanted to get the hell out of there.

He briskly walked to the front door and slipped on his shoes that were placed at the front by themselves. It made it look like he owned the apartment and lived there by himself, a thought that didn’t bother Jungkook all that much. Just as Jungkook had placed his hand on the doorknob to exit the apartment, a knock sounded against the door, making Jungkook yelp and jump back in shock.

He didn’t answer right away, instead hoping that whoever it was had the wrong address. However, Jungkook’s hopes were shattered when three loud knocks boomed against the door. Jungkook creeped to the door and looked through the peephole only to be met with darkness. Whoever it was had their hand over the peephole so their face couldn’t be seen which sent Jungkook’s mind in a frenzy.

“Anybody home?” A male’s voice shouted.

Jungkook debated whether he should answer or not. This wasn’t his home and he didn’t want to let someone potentially dangerous in. Jungkook decided to remain quiet and hope the man would give up and walk away.

“Hello?” The man asked again. Two more knocks against the door. “Jungkook?”

Did he hear that right? Did the man just call his name? His voice didn’t sound familiar so who the hell was this?

“Wh-who is it?” Jungkook called back, trying his hardest, and failing just as badly, to sound unfazed.

“Did Jisoo not tell you? She asked me to get you some food,” the male replied.

Food? Jungkook remembered the letter Jisoo had left him where she mentioned that a friend would be coming with food. Jungkook scratched his scalp in frustration at this friend’s perfect timing before slowly opening the door. Jungkook didn’t really know what he was expecting from the friend, but it surely wasn’t _that._

The man on the other side of the door was decked out in a full black suit with a silk black dress shirt underneath. He even wore a black tie that was loosely tied around his neck and the top two buttons of his silk shirt were unbuttoned leaving just a peek of his fair chest showing. He was pretty tall, just a little taller than Jungkook, and his long dark hair was gelled and styled to look wavy and slightly wet and it lay over his forehead and covered his eyebrows. He also wore small simple hoop earrings in both ears that were a silver color that contrasted well with his dark hair. In his hands, he had a plastic bag with the food and in the other hand he held his phone whose case was a brilliant black and white assortment of diamonds, though Jungkook couldn’t tell if they were real or not, judging by the air of the man in front of him, they were probably real. In short, the man was stunning.

“Jungkook?” The man asked with a gentle smile.

“Uh, yep,” Jungkook responded.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Yugyeom,” the man replied as smiled wider. He stared at Jungkook for a bit and Jungkook stared back. He tapped his foot then cleared his throat before asking, “Can I come in?”

“Huh?” Jungkook asked tilting his head to the side a little.

Yugyeom smiled at the adorable gesture before tilting his head back to point with his chin towards the inside the apartment nonchalantly.

 “Oh! Oh, yeah, of course, yeah come in,” Jungkook said as he opened the door wider to let Yugyeom in. “Sorry,” he added.

“It’s all good,” Yugyeom replied as he easily slipped his shiny leather shoes off and walked straight to the kitchen as if he owned the place, or at least as if he’d been there many times before.

“So, you’re Jisoo’s friend?” Jungkook asked even though he already knew the answer.

“Yup,” Yugyeom answered as he placed the food on the island. He began to arrange the food on the island but realized that Jungkook was still at the front door with his shoes on. “Do you not want to eat?” he asked as he looked back at Jungkook.

Jungkook blinked, he was hungry but he wanted to get the hell out of there as well. But the second that the smell of the food invaded his senses all he could think about was stuffing his face. He kicked his shoes off and tried, but failed, to seem casual as he bounded to the island to take a look at the food. He sat down on one of the bar stools around the island as Yugyeom continued to pull out cartons and cartons of food out of the bag he was holding.

Jungkook stared impatiently as Yugyeom took his time opening and arranging the cartons of food in front of Jungkook seemingly unfazed by Jungkook’s impatient finger tapping and throat clearing.

“Are there more people coming?” Jungkook’s voice shattered the silence of the room.

“No.” Yugyeom answered simply, not looking up at Jungkook when he responded.

Jungkook frowned in confusion at all the food laid out in front of him. Three kinds of meat, chicken, beef and pork, were steaming in front of him. Vegetables of every color steamed, boiled, and doused in soy sauce. And, of course, rice. Lots of rice. There were three sides of rice which made Jungkook think that all this food was made for three people. Jungkook was hungry, but he wasn’t that hungry, however if he was expected to eat all this food he would definitely take up the challenge.

Yugyeom sighed when he finally finished preparing the table and plopped down on the barstool across from Jungkook.

“Okay,” Yugyeom clapped, “Eat up!”

Jungkook unintentionally bowed his head and picked up a pair of chopsticks to begin eating. He didn’t know why he bowed to Yugyeom who looked to be about the same age as him, but his aura and his presence was so compelling that he basically demanded respect without verbally asking for it.

Once again, Jungkook felt inferior. He felt so small in the luxurious condo and he felt so insignificant sitting in front of Yugyeom. His appetite immediately disappeared before he even had a taste of the grand buffet in front of him but with Yugyeom watching him, he felt obliged to eat. He started with the roasted vegetables, something small and light in order to stimulate his appetite. It was only simple vegetables like eggplant and carrots, foods he was so used to that he could describe the taste easily if someone asked, yet they tasted so different. They were juicier but not soggy at all, but rather, crunchy as if they were freshly ripened. Their flavor was richer and clean, an experience he never could have imagined from a simple roasted vegetable.

His face must have shown his pleasant surprise because Yugyeom chuckled.

“Good, right?” Yugyeom asked.

“Yeah,” Jungkook replied with his mouth full.

“It’s from this restaurant that imports all its fruits and vegetables from the adjacent province. It’s not even that far away but its soil is so much richer in nutrients so it makes all their plants way tastier than over here. The food here is such crap, you know?”

Jungkook swallowed hard. His mother had a medium-sized garden in their backyard where she grew tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes. His mother’s roasted vegetables were his favorite dish, he would never describe it as crap. Sure, these vegetables were richer in flavor, but nothing could ever compare to his mother’s food.

Jungkook faked a chuckle and decided to not worry about the taste of the food anymore, but rather, to eat as quickly as he could so he could leave that place and that man and never see either of them again. He must have gotten his directly in his jaw during the fight because his jaw was very sore and stiff, which made him hesitant to try the meat.

“Try the beef,” Yugyeom chimed, his eyes beaming at Jungkook, “It’s my favorite.”

Jungkook obliged, picking out one of the smallest pieces of the beef fearful that the meat might be tough and chewy further aggravating his painful jaw. There was a deep brown sauce next to the beef which he dipped his piece into before placing it into his mouth. He chewed slowly at first, but when his teeth sank right into the beef, almost melting on his tongue, he couldn’t lie and say his heart didn’t skip a beat. He’d never had a cut of beef so soft and buttery that it didn’t even feel like he was eating beef. He was both astonished and annoyed at the same time. Astonished because of the sheer quality of the cut and preparation of this beef along with all the other food placed in front of him. But he was annoyed for the same reason. It was pretty obvious that money gave people access to things that they could never have otherwise known about, but the enormous difference between the simplest things like vegetables and meat eaten by the rich and the financially burdened was more prevalent to Jungkook.

He didn’t understand why, but he felt like he was betraying his family, his friends, and his hometown as he sat there eating that food. He felt like he shouldn’t even be there, he wanted to leave so badly but he just couldn’t bring himself to stand up and walk out, but he didn’t know why. Instead, he just continued to eat quickly.

Every now and then he would look up from his food to see that Yugyeom was watching him closely without interruption despite his phone going off multiple times notifying him of a text message. Jungkook looked up again only for his eyes to meet with Yugyeom’s. He was about to look away when Yugyeom spoke.

“Have we met before?” Yugyeom asked as he squinted his eyes in thought, possibly trying to figure out where he’s seen Jungkook before.

“Uhh…I’m not sure,” Jungkook replied, surprised at how raspy his voice sounded. He was more tired than he thought.

“Hmm,” Yugyeom hummed in thought as he tilted his head as he continued to study Jungkook’s face. Jungkook felt uncomfortable under Yugyeom’s gaze however he didn’t feel intimidated. He wasn’t afraid that Yugyeom would hurt him because that wasn’t the impression that he gave off, but he was unsure of what and who Yugyeom was, which concerned him slightly.

Yugyeom quickly straightened up and snapped, “You’ve come to Erotica, right?”

Jungkook cleared his throat and nodded slowly. So Yugyeom had seen him, but he had never seen Yugyeom.

“Yup, I knew it. I knew you looked familiar. We tried to figure out who you were but you disappeared before we could get to you. Turns out you were passed out in Jisoo’s bed after body rocking her ex,” Yugyeom laughed at his own joke.

Yugyeom had said so much that Jungkook didn’t know where to begin asking the questions. But, in the end, his pride had won.

“I didn’t hurt him that bad, did I?” Jungkook asked, trying very hard to suppress his smirk.

“I mean, he’s not dead,” Yugyeom shrugged obviously not a fan of Jisoo’s ex-boyfriend either. Yugyeom and Jisoo must have been friends for a while if he knew her ex-boyfriend, Jungkook conjectured.

Jungkook nodded, a tiny bit proud of himself before continuing to eat. He was just about to put a piece of chicken in his mouth when he remembered his other question.

“We?” Jungkook asked.

“Huh?” Yugyeom hummed.

“You said ‘we’ were trying to figure out who I was. Who is ‘we?’”

“Oh! Me and my friends,” Yugyeom answered simply.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you want to know who I was?”

“Ohh! We wanted to recruit you,”

Jungkook looked around the room as he tried to come up with the right words to say. The only thing coming to Jungkook’s mind, however, was “The fuck?”

“Pardon?” Jungkook forced out.

“Yeah. I mean, we just got a new guy and he’s pretty cool, but he’s also adorable as hell which is, like, good and bad, I guess? I don’t know, I just feel like we need more guys like you,” Yugyeom spoke nonchalantly and friendly, but his vagueness threw Jungkook off.

“More guys? Like me?” Jungkook parroted.

“Yeah, you know. Aggressive,”

“Aggressive?”

“Maybe aggressive’s not the right word. Tough guy? Bad boy?”

Jungkook placed his chopsticks down as he completely abandoned his food. He didn’t know whether he should ask Yugyeom another question, thank him, or shake the shit out of him until he told him what the hell he was actually talking about.

He chose the peaceful option, “Okay…uhm. Thanks? But, what the hell are you talking about? Recruit me for what?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Yugyeom asked not in a patronizing way but as if he were talking about elementary math. “We want you to be a male host.”

Yugyeom was purposefully stalling in telling Jungkook what he was talking about because whenever he mentioned male hosting he always either got a drink splashed in his face, threatened, or cussed out. However, Jungkook didn’t express any of those emotions. Not even a look of disgust had curtained his face. Yugyeom got a bit excited at the chill response.

“Male hosting.” Jungkook parroted, not as a question but a statement.

“Yeah,” Yugyeom responded.

“Male. Hosting.”

“Yeah…male hosting,” Yugyeom spoke slowly.

“Hosting. Of the male variety,”

“What?” Yugyeom retorted.

“Hosting what exactly? Birthday parties? Wedding anniversaries?” Jungkook questioned.

The innocence of the question cracked Yugyeom up so bad that his ribs started hurting. He finally ceased laughing and looked at Jungkook who was sporting and offended pouty face that completely broke down his tough boy image and made him look like a bunny rabbit. It sent Yugyeom into another laughing fit that lasted for another minute or two…or three.

“I’m…sorry,” Yugyeom spoke in between chuckles. “It’s just…hahaha. Not that,”

“Then what is it?” Jungkook asked annoyed.

“It’s,” Yugyeom said as he calmed down, “Well, it’s--   Not easy to explain with words. It’s better that I show you. If you don’t mind, of course.” Yugyeom quickly added.

Jungkook contemplated what Yugyeom had said and he was weighing his options. On the one hand, he was curious as to what else he could experience downtown. On the other hand, he didn’t give a shit about the rich and greedy goons of downtown and wanted to stay away forever. However, he was more curious than anything. He didn’t know how long he had been silent in contemplation but it must have been a while since Yugyeom spoke up again.

“Do you not want to?”

“I—Uh…sure?” Jungkook finally relented. Honestly, how bad could it be? Jungkook had barely finished his sentence when Yugyeom jumped up from his stool and clapped his hands in pure excitement.

“Great!” Yugyeom pointed at the food, “You’re done eating, right?” He hadn’t waited for Jungkook to answer before he continued, “Alright! Let’s go.”

Jungkook watched in shock as Yugyeom strode to the front door not looking back to see that Jungkook had not lifted a single finger from the table. Yugyeom was more excited than he had expected. Yugyeom still didn’t glance back at Jungkook as he put on his shoes which made Jungkook feel pressured to catch up. He stood up but before heading to Yugyeom, he began packing up the unfinished food to store in the refrigerator.

Apparently, he was taking too long because Yugyeom marched back to the counter, with his shoes on, and grabbed the rest of the food and threw it all away. Jungkook stared at Yugyeom in shock. How could he throw all that perfectly good food away? If Jungkook had even _considered_ throwing away food like that his mother would slap his to the next week and his father would drop kick him back to his mother who would slap him back to his father and so on, like ping pong.

“Right? Now, let’s go,” Yugyeom urged as he walked back to the door. Jungkook followed but he purposefully moved slowly in his passive-aggressive way of protesting Yugyeom throwing away the food. Yugyeom didn’t seem to notice, however, since, instead of waiting for Jungkook to put his shoes on, he just walked out of the apartment down the hall to the elevator.

Jungkook huffed as he finished tying his shoes and semi-jogged to catch up to Yugyeom who had already pressed the button to the elevator. Why was Yugyeom so rushed? Where were they even going? These questions ran through Jungkook’s mind as he studied Yugyeom’s impatient yet chill demeanor. His face was calm and behind his eyes were quiet, the only sign that he was impatient was his foot tapping at a steady pace.

The bell chimed signaling that the elevator had reached the floor and the two men got in. There were buttons from 1-12 and there was also a button labeled as “B.” Yugyeom pressed the button labeled “B” and they began their descent.

Jungkook leaned back against the elevator and was going to zone out when something bright in his peripheral vision caught his eye. He turned and saw that he was standing on top of the entire city and, he wasn’t going to lie, he panicked a little. He looked to the back of Yugyeom’s head to see if he was scared as well, but, just as always, Yugyeom was calmer than ever. Yugyeom was so calm, actually, that it made Jungkook take a deep breath and take in his surroundings again. He looked to his left and right and saw that the elevator’s walls were clear and, not only that, but the entire elevator shaft protruded from the apartment building to give the illusion that they were standing over the city. Once Jungkook confirmed that this was the case, he calmed down considerably and even giggled at how trendy the design of this building was. Marble floors, wall to wall windows, and clear elevators really made Jungkook feel like he was in a different world.

Sooner than he wanted, the elevator bell chimed again signaling that they had reached the “B” floor. The doors opened to reveal another lobby with an elevator directly across from them. Yugyeom walked out, with Jungkook following closely behind, and went to the other elevator and pressed the button. The doors opened immediately to a regular interior and both men got in. The buttons on this elevator ranged from 1-5 and Yugyeom had pressed 3 before the doors closed and the men continued their descent of the building.

Jungkook was a little confused by the layout of this building. Did the nice elevator only function for the people who lived higher up on the building? But even then, why do both elevators start at 1? Yugyeom caught Jungkook looking at the buttons with furrowed eyebrows and smiled as he explained.

“There are 4 levels of car garages and, above that, 11 levels of apartments,” Yugyeom clarified.

“Are the car garages underground, then?” Jungkook asked.

“No, they’re in the building, too,”

“Ah…” Jungkook breathed. He wanted to ask a follow-up question but he didn’t know what to follow up with. He scanned his mind for another question but ended up giving up. He decided it would be best to just take the night as it came to him.

The elevator bell sounded and the doors opened allowing the boys to exit into what was the fanciest car garage Jungkook had ever seen. There was a booth and a man dressed in in a red vest with a white dress shirt and black suit pants waiting for Jungkook and Yugyeom as they approached. Yugyeom walked up to the man in the red vest and handed him a piece of paper and the man looked at it before bowing quickly and briskly walking away.

Jungkook wanted to ask what Yugyeom had just given the man but he remembered his promise to himself so he just stood back and watched. Soon enough, a powerful engine from quite some ways away revved up and got louder as the car approached the men. The car pulled up right in front of Yugyeom and Jungkook and Jungkook was quite impressed at what had parked in front of them.

The car was…magnificent. Jungkook could not describe it any other way. The car, which car seemed too plain and broad of a word to use for this vehicle. What was parked in front of Jungkook was a piece of machinery whose every corner, cut, and pane was taken care of with the greatest detail. Jungkook looked to Yugyeom who had a proud smile on his face as he stared at the machine in front, like a proud owner. However, as Jungkook looked back to the vehicle in front of him, it was as if the car was too powerful, too grand to be owned. It had its own aura, its own attitude and Jungkook felt a little intimidated.

Yugyeom spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen over the garage when the car arrived, “Beautiful, right?”

Jungkook did not, could not, come up with words, so he just nodded as he continued to admire the view.

Yugyeom continued, “My baby. Tesla Model S P100D. Do you know what that means?” Jungkook shook his head in answer to Yugyeom’s question. “Zero to sixty in 2.5, bro.”

Jungkook laughed airily, “Lot of numbers.”

Yugyeom laughed in response and walked to the driver’s side of the car where the valet was standing holding the door open. Yugyeom handed the valet a tip and entered the car while Jungkook got in on the passenger’s side.

Jungkook thought the exterior of the car was nice, but the inside was on another level. It smelled, looked, and felt nicer than his own house. The entire inside of the car was black, with black leather seats with dark ash wood décor and carbon fiber accents. Jungkook had barely gotten his seatbelt on before Yugyeom had hit the gas and was zooming out of the garage. Jungkook was pushed back by the inertia into the seat and he didn’t know what was more comfortable, the seats or the Jisoo’s bed.

Once they had gotten onto the main street Yugyeom had pressed a button and leaned back as he pulled his phone out and rapidly tapped the screen as he texted. Jungkook’s survival impulses kicked in and he grabbed the steering wheel to prevent the car from veering off the street. Yugyeom jumped in his seat and grabbed one of Jungkook’s arms that had flown across his chest.

“Dude, chill!” Yugyeom yelled.

“Chill? You just fucking let go of the fucking steering wheel! Are you trying to kill us?!” Jungkook yelled back not removing his vice grip on the steering wheel.

Yugyeom’s laughing caught Jungkook off guard, “It’s alright. Seriously, it’s fine, Jungkook. Have you never heard of autopilot?”

“Autopilot?” Jungkook said as Yugyeom’s calm demeanor slowly eased him, “Yeah, on airplanes,”

Yugyeom ticked his tongue and shook his head, “Jungkook, it’s 2017. Who buys a car without autopilot nowadays?”

Jungkook was lost for words as he let Yugyeom pry his hands from the steering wheel and back into his lap. Autopilot? In cars? Jungkook and Yugyeom stared at each other for a few seconds before Yugyeom bursted into a fit of giggles that eventually overtook Jungkook as well. Two sets of giggles, one giddy and one nervous, filled the car before it slowly dissipated back into silence.

They hadn’t driven much further before Yugyeom had retaken control of the car and made a left turn.

“We’re almost there,” Yugyeom mentioned.

“Where are we going?” Jungkook asked.

“Nowhere you haven’t already been before,” Yugyeom cryptically answered. Jungkook was getting a little tired of Yugyeom’s vagueness and just decided to stop asking questions or he might slap Yugyeom soon.

Turns out, Yugyeom wasn’t being as vague as Jungkook had previously thought. Soon, the streets and surroundings stores began to get more familiar and, eventually, led to a familiar alley.

“Erotica?” Jungkook asked.

Yugyeom smiled and nodded, his eyes getting just a hint darker. Yugyeom pulled up to the curb where a man with a suit and red vest was waiting, another valet. The valet jogged to Yugyeom’s side of the car and opened the door to let Yugyeom out. Jungkook got out on his own and waited on the sidewalk for Yugyeom.

Yugyeom then led the way into the alley towards the club entrance but passed it, instead, walking further into the alley. He stopped in front of a black door that almost camouflaged into the dark night. Yugyeom knocked twice before a slit on the door slid open and two beady eyes looked out. Yugyeom did a cute pose with pursed lips and a peace sign with his fingers and the slit closed just as quickly as it opened. The door swung open a second later and Yugyeom walked in with Jungkook on his heels.

Jungkook expected the usual crowd and chaos that clubs consisted of, but he was so utterly surprised by how quiet it was. Jungkook had remembered going to a back section of the club the first time he went, but this was so different. This area was dimmer and everything from the walls, floor, and furniture was black with accents of white here and there. It didn’t feel like he entered a dance club but, rather, some sort of exclusive enclave for special people.

“You can meet my friends,” Yugyeom said, in a softer tone, as if he didn’t want to disturb the quiet of the place. Jungkook perked up, _so there were other people here?_

Jungkook was led through the black hallway and turned into a room whose door was closed, but Yugyeom opened it without knocking. Immediately, a cacophony of voices and clanking glasses filled Jungkook’s ear. The door opened into a large rectangular room with black marble walls, black marble tiled floor and a black leather couch that was shaped in a wide “U.” The couch opened away from the door so Jungkook could see the faces of three men on sides of the couch, but only the back of one man.

Yugyeom had opened the door and immediately blazed across the room the friendly squeeze the shoulders of the one man whose back was facing the door. Jungkook stayed behind next to the, now closed door.

“You finally made it!” One of the men said in mock enthusiasm.

“I wasn’t gone that long, was I?” Yugyeom asked as he patted out the wrinkles on his friend’s shirt when he had squeezed his shoulders.

“It was pretty long, dude,” another man, who looked younger said.

“Well, no worries. My lateness will be worth it when you see who I brought. Everyone say hello to Jungkook,” Yugyeom trilled in a sing-songy voice.

Suddenly, all eyes were on Jungkook as Yugyeom stepped to the side and raised his hand as he wordlessly presented the group Jungkook. From left to right, each man introduced himself but the man whose back was facing Jungkook still had not turned. He looked to be preoccupied with something.

The eyes of the man on the far left widened with excitement as his eyes fell on Jungkook. “You really outdid yourself with this one, Yugyeom,” the man said. Yugyeom nodded like a happy child. “Nice to meet, you. I’m Mark,” he said as he raised a glass.

Jungkook couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t shy, so, instead of introducing himself back, he just slightly bowed his head and offered a weak smile. The man sitting next to Mark raised his glass next and introduced himself.

“I’m Jackson. Welcome to the prettiest shithole in this town, bro.”

Jungkook didn’t know whether to laugh or take this as a hint to leave, but he just bowed again.

The next man to introduce himself sat across from Jackson.

“Are you sure you’re the one who beat up Jisoo’s ex? That guy was tough and cool, you’re too nice looking. Like a baby bunny,”

“Hey!” Yugyeom said as he squeezed the tendon on the man’s shoulder.

“Look who’s talking though. Are you even 18, kid?” Jackson chimed in as he and Mark laughed.

“This is BamBam,” Yugyeom said.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” BamBam wheezed as he gripped his aching shoulder. He, too, raised a glass and downed the rest of the clear alcohol that rest in it.

“And last but certainly not least,” Yugyeom announced with a bright smile as he motioned to the man sitting in the center of the couch. “Jungkook, meet Jimin.”

At his introduction, the man in the center finally turned around with a warm smile on his face that quickly dissipated when he met eyes with Jungkook. Jungkook’s eyes widened, his eyebrows nearly touching his hairline when his eyes fell on the familiar face of his friend.

They must have been staring at each other for too long because Jackson spoke up.

“Do you guys know each other?”

Jungkook broke eye contact with Jimin to look at the men around the room. Their eyes were still focused on him but now their looks were suspicious rather than inviting.

Jungkook was going to admit that they were friends, but before he could even open his mouth, Jimin had interrupted.

“No,” Jimin said tensely.

“Really? Then what was that looked you guys just shared?” Mark asked.

Jimin turned his back to Jungkook again to answer Mark’s question.

“I thought it was someone I knew,” Jimin shrugged.

“Well, it’s a small town. You’re bound to see familiar faces,” Jackson offered. Everyone nodded and, seemingly, let it go.

Jungkook stared at the back of Jimin’s head, telepathically commanding him to turn back around and explain himself, but it was useless. Yugyeom walked back towards Jungkook and wrapped his arms around Jungkook’s shoulders, leading him around the couch to sit next to BamBam.

Now on the other side of the couch, Jungkook could see what Jimin was so busy with. He was counting a very large stack of cash on a black marble table that stood in the middle of the curve of the couch. It was more money than Jungkook had ever seen and it was all in Jimin’s hands. Yugyeom poured Jungkook and himself a glass of clear alcohol but he didn’t drink it so Jungkook didn’t down it either.

“Now that you’re finally here, we can get down to business,” Jackson said as he leaned forward with his elbows on the table. Yugyeom motioned with his hands to continue.

“So, here’s what’s happening,” Mark took over, “The Big Boss is holding an event and he’s inviting all the big guys,”

“And by ‘big guys’ you mean?” Yugyeom asked. Yugyeom was in business mode, along with all the other men around the table.

“The newly elected mayor,” BamBam interjected.

“It’s gonna be the usual business shit: Talking numbers, making deals, trading secrets,” Mark continued, “But, as you know, this new mayor has some very…interesting tastes,” Mark smirked.

Yugyeom mirrored his smirk as he looked over to Jimin who was paying full attention to the conversation. “Yes,” he grinned, “Mr. Choi, truly does.”

“Mr. Choi?” Jimin repeated. Mark and Yugyeom nodded and smiled.

“Yep,” Mark said, “The new mayor is our dear Mr. Choi,”

“Shit,” Jimin laughed before continuing to count the money. Jungkook was very confused, but that was to be expected. So, he stayed quiet and paid very close attention to what was being said around.

“Boss didn’t go into much detail about what the meeting is about,” Jackson began, “But it must be very important if he’s checking all the marks to get on the mayor’s good side.”

“So, who’s all going?” BamBam asked. “Besides the obvious, of course,” he added before sending Jimin a knowing smirk.

“So, we asked JB and he gave us a couple of suggestions,” Jackson continued. “Mr. Choi will be entertained, but we need a show for his close associates.”

“Hmm, a show, huh?” Yugyeom said thoughtfully.

“Not just one show,” Mark said excitedly, “Several shows. Each with their own theme and participants. So, everyone can do what they’re best at.”

“Speaking of,” BamBam chimed in, “What are you best at, Jungkook?”

“What?” Jungkook responded.

“Dom? Sub? Solo?” BamBam continued, his voice getting lower after each word.

“Nah, he’s too shy to go solo,” Mark mentioned thoughtfully.

“And too cute to be a Dom,” Jackson added.

“That’s what we thought about Jimin,” Yugyeom brought up.

“True,” BamBam gasped. “Are you another Jimin?” BamBam asked Jungkook.

“Uhh…” Jungkook couldn’t keep up with what was being said around him. His face felt warm and his eyes shifted to each man, lingering longer on Jimin trying to wordlessly call for help from his friend.

“Wait,” Mark asked with squinted eyes, “Are you a virgin?”

Suddenly, everyone’s eyes brightened and stared at Jungkook waiting for a response. Jungkook was mortified. The truth was that he was a virgin, but didn’t know what that had to do with anything. Would he have to have sex with random people if he stayed here? If that was the case then he wanted no part of whatever this was. Jungkook’s lack of an answer to Mark’s question was apparently answer enough as Jungkook could literally see the realization dawn in everyone’s eyes.

“Shit, seriously?” Yugyeom asked with wide eyes and an even wider mouth.

At that moment, Jungkook felt judged and he hated it. He was going to defend himself but wasn’t given the chance as Jackson interrupted him.

“That’s perfect!” Jackson exclaimed. “I thought your innocent demeanor was just an act but, turns out, you’re actually innocent! Those bastards will love you!” Jackson clapped.

Jungkook wondered what about him being a virgin was lovable. His friends made fun of him constantly and he always hesitated to tell girls because they always gave him that look. That look of pity, reluctance, and intrigue all at once. He hated telling people he was a virgin because of that particular look. But the look that the men around the table were giving him was completely different. It was actually opposite. They seemed excited, like the possibilities for Jungkook was endless. Jungkook, in all honestly, felt glad that he wasn’t being judged by them, but rather, appreciated for his shyness.

“What would I do?” Jungkook asked. Everyone looked a little taken aback by how quickly Jungkook had agreed, but their surprise quickly dissipated into excitement when they realized just how much freedom Jungkook had given them.

“Well,” Mark began, “we haven’t done this show in a while. BamBam used to do it, since he looks young, but eventually he lost his boy next door vibe so we had to ditch the show.” At the mention of his name, BamBam wiggled his eyebrows, as if he were proud to be labeled as a debauched adult than an innocent one. Mark continued, “But with a new face, we can bring the show back. Not to mention, you’ve got that bad boy vibe that will really seal the deal.”

Everyone around the table nodded and Yugyeom raised his glass, “Cheers to that. Welcome to the club, Jungkook!”

At that, everyone filled their glasses and downed the alcohol, including Jungkook who had been babysitting his drink ever since it was first poured for him by Yugyeom. Jungkook was excited, but he didn’t know what he had signed up for. But that was part of the fun, wasn’t it?

Jungkook looked over to Jimin and found that Jimin was staring at him with the blankest face. It was quite unnerving since his friend was really bad at hiding his emotions. It was as if he were a completely different person. It was hard to admit it, but it had been a while since he and Jimin were in the same room together.

However, Jungkook knew that the reason for the tension between them was because of Jungkook himself. He avoided Jimin ever since that night when he and Jimin slept in the same bed and Jimin essentially revealed his feelings for him. It was awkward for Jungkook to know that Jimin, his friend since childhood, had deeper feelings for him, especially when he couldn’t reciprocate the feelings. He just decided that avoiding Jimin would be better than outright rejecting, but, now that they would, essentially, be working together (could he call it working?), it would be much harder to avoid Jimin.

As he slammed his drink down, Jackson pointed out, “We should incorporate his duality though. He’s shy and innocent, yeah, but, even across this table, I can see his muscles bulging from his t-shirt.”

Yugyeom hummed in agreement and snapped his fingers, “You have a point. I don’t know how believable he could be as the boy next door when he’s ripped for the Gods.”

“He’s gonna need an edge,” Jackson replied.

“Well, what’s a boy next door without a dark secret?” BamBam added mischievously.

Everyone, except, Jimin exchanged glances and a knowing look glazed over their eyes. They seemed to be communicating with their eyes, and Jungkook felt he was going to explode with curiosity as to what they could be contemplating. He didn’t have to wait long since Mark leaned forward and spoke in a low voice.

“How do you feel about BDSM?” Mark asked slowly and carefully.

Jungkook was so shocked by the question that he wasn’t even sure if it was directed to him. However, Mark, as was everyone else around the table, was looking directly at Jungkook pressuring him to answer quickly.

“I…Uhm. I don’t…really know?” Jungkook stuttered out.

“Have you ever tried it?” Jackson questioned.

“No, I haven’t.”

Everyone sighed and looked around again as if they were planning something else.

“Do you want to?” Yugyeom asked carefully as not to frighten an already shaken Jungkook.

“Well, I—” Jungkook started.

“It’s honestly not as threatening as it sounds. It’s even pretty enjoyable,” BamBam offered.

“Everyone bashes it before they have even tried it out,” Jackson added, “It’s definitely something you have to try before you judge it.”

“So, what do you say? You wanna try it? If you don’t like it, you won’t ever have to do it again. But if you do…” Yugyeom trailed off.

Jungkook thought for a long while, but, this time, nobody, not even Jimin, was looking at him. They gave Jungkook his space to think clearly without feeling pressured, which was much appreciated. Jungkook mulled over their words and came to a decision he felt very confident in.

“Yeah, why not.” Jungkook said confidently.

“Really?” All five men said in unison.

Jungkook shrugged, “Well, yeah. You said if I don’t like it, I won’t have to ever do it again so what the hell, why not?”

A collection of whoops, relieved sighs, and “my man!” sounded throughout the room. Even Jungkook was excited.

“Alright, well that means someone has to break the new guy in. Who will do the honors?” Jackson asked as he looked around the table.

“Well, since I got him to come, it should be me,” Yugyeom said.

“No way, I know way more about how this shit works, I should do it,” BamBam countered.

Eventually, a rowdy argument had overtaken the room as the two men went back and forth about who was more suited to introduce Jungkook into the world of BDSM. The argument had just reached its peak when a deep raspy voice had broken through the noise and effectively silenced the room.

“I’ll do it.”

There was confusion as to who had spoken. Thankfully, he repeated himself.

“I said I’ll do it.” It was Jimin. Jungkook whipped his head to see that Jimin look completely calm as he leaned against the couch with one hand on the table, his index finger tapping slowly against the stack of money he had just counted, and the other hand in his pocket. He had his left ankle resting on his right knee, giving him a commanding air that was hard to look away from.

Jackson nodded in agreement but still asked the rest of the group, “Any objections?”

BamBam sat back in defeat as the rest of the group shook their heads. Jungkook wanted to object loudly and obnoxiously but he didn’t want to make a scene, and there was just something about Jimin that made him stay quiet.

Before anything else could be said, Jimin stood up ready to leave. Mark and Jackson stood up to allow Jimin space to move from his spot on the couch and towards the door. Jungkook watched Jimin’s retreating figure almost as if he were in a trance. Yugyeom nudged Jungkook on the shoulder and, when he got his attention, he motioned for Jungkook to follow Jimin.

“Have fun,” Yugyeom added with a mischievous smile.

Jungkook didn’t have time to respond as Jimin had already walked out into the hallway, so he had to lightly jog in order to catch up. When he had finally caught up to Jimin, who actually wasn’t walking that hurriedly, Jungkook slowed down and stayed two steps behind as he let Jimin guide him through the halls that he seemed to know so well.

Jungkook had so many questions, but he didn’t feel right asking them. Kind of like a “You spent all of your energy avoiding this man, so why do you think you can ask him what he’s been up to?”

Jimin stopped in front of a door that was locked using a keypad. He entered the code and a bright jingle sounded as the door was unlocked. He promptly opened the door and went through it, not even holding the door for Jungkook.

The room that they had entered was such an unexpected sight in a club, but, with the night that Jungkook had, it was getting harder and harder to be surprised. The room had black marble walls, with one side of the wall, directly across from the door, made entirely of mirrors. The floors were black tiled marble which were not slippery and warm enough to be felt through Jungkook’s shoes. In front of the mirror was a cart topped with an ivory tablecloth that, at first glance, seemed to house treats, but as Jungkook got closer the cart was filled with different colored pairs of handcuffs, a clear milk jar that was filled with a bright green liquid, a Styrofoam box filled with ice cubes, and a plate of strawberries. On the other side of the room was an innocuous black chest that was sleek and modern in design. And in the center of the room, obviously the highlight, was a California king sized bed with black silk coverings and a long ivory pillow. At the foot of the bed was a black About halfway up the wall on either side of the bed were two soft white lights which were the only source of light in the room. However, due to the reflective properties of the marble, the room was comfortably lit though not bright.

“Sit on the bed,” Jimin commanded in the same raspy deep voice that his close friends rarely heard.

Jungkook quietly obliged as he watched as Jimin went to the chest and opened the top drawer tinkering with the items in there. Judging by the sound, the items were metallic. The room was deathly silent and it drove Jungkook crazy so he said the first thing that came to his mind.

“That’s a lot of handcuffs,” Jungkook awkwardly said, his voice sounding weird even to his own ears.

“You won’t need them. Take your shirt off,” Jimin deadpanned as he continued sorting through the chest. Before Jungkook could ask what Jimin meant by that, Jimin had pulled out a long, thick chain with two rings on each end, one significantly larger than the other. Jimin closed the drawer and walked back to Jungkook.

Jimin stood over Jungkook, looking at the chain rather than Jungkook, and his overall commanding presence and the fact that Jungkook was sitting and Jimin was standing, Jimin seemed so large, brooding, and imposing. But not in a threatening way, though Jungkook was a little hesitant, but in a way that made Jungkook both want to trust and submit to Jimin. Maybe he was more suited for this BDSM thing than he thought. Jimin flashed him a look of impatience prompting Jungkook to quickly remove his shirt before Jimin got angry.

“Sit back,” Jimin said lowly. Just as Jungkook had sit back, Jimin had wrapped the collar around Jungkook’s neck. Jungkook was gave Jimin a confused look that was not seen because Jimin was bent over attaching the smaller collar somewhere on the floor on the side of the bed. Jimin stood back up and went back to the chest, now pulling multiple items out of the drawer and placing them on top.

Jungkook was starting to get a bit nervous and he just wanted to ease the tension in the room.

“It seems you’ve done this before,” Jungkook commented as he watched the back of Jimin. When he got no response, he decided to add more. “How many times?” When he was met with silence again, he felt a bit frustrated. “Look, Jimin, I know that recently—”

“Jimin?” Jimin had interrupted, “Do you understand your position right now? Do you think it’s smart to call me by my name, let alone talk when I haven’t allowed you to?”

Jungkook was shocked to silence at Jimin’s cold response. He didn’t know whether Jimin was being cold to him because that was his role as a “Dom” or if Jimin was aware that Jungkook was avoiding him and he was genuinely pissed with Jungkook. Jungkook swallowed deeply as Jimin’s eyes pierced through him and, for a while, no one said anything.

However, Jungkook wanted to clear the air and let Jimin know that he was truly sorry for ignoring him and that he didn’t want to be on bad terms, no matter how angry Jimin got at him for speaking.

“I just thought you needed an apology from me—” Jungkook began but was again interrupted by Jimin.

“Right now,” Jimin scoffed before looking Jungkook dead in the eye with the most serious face that Jungkook had ever seen from him, “The only thing I need from you is for you to take your pants off.  Now”

 

 


	11. House of Cards Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello!
> 
> Welcome to part 1 of two where I take you through the imaginings of my sick and twisted mind. I'm surprised how well my work is coming together considering I haven't really planned where this is going I just write shit haha.
> 
> I should be coming with part 2 soon-ish, just bear with me cause mid-terms are next week. I hope you like this chapter, lovelies!  
> Leave comments and Kudos pleaseeee and thank youuuu  
> abx

Taehyung was sitting under a tree shading himself from the brutal summer sun as he watched the all too familiar car parked in front of Hoseok’s house leave once again, taking his best friend with it. Taehyung had lost count of how many days it had been since Hoseok had first met Jisoo, but, for Taehyung, it felt too long. What was so special, besides the money, of course, about Jisoo. Special enough to have Hoseok’s attention 24/7? Was he funnier that Hoseok’s friends? Smarter?

Taehyung felt that it was very unfair that he had to compare himself to Jisoo. He had been friends with Hoseok for much longer, knew way more about Hoseok that Jisoo, yet it felt like Hoseok had no time for Taehyung. Rather than having no time, it felt like Hoseok _made_ no time for Taehyung. After the years that they had been together, Taehyung felt that the least Hoseok could give him was a sentence at least. Was that too much?

These were Taehyung’s thoughts, but, for some reason, he could never get them out into words to tell his friend. It was extremely difficult for him to express his emotions mostly because he felt that he’d just be overlooked no matter how many tears he shed. So, instead of talking to Hoseok, Taehyung bit his tongue and sat back and watched.

But, it wasn’t like Taehyung was exactly innocent, either.

Oh, no.

Taehyung was far from the victim. Which was another reason why Taehyung couldn’t speak his mind to Hoseok.

Honestly, who would give their so-called “friend” the time of day when, every time they leave the house, that “friend” is secretly fucking their mother.

Taehyung knew. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he was doing it out of anger. Well, the first time. The other times were because he genuinely liked it. And he liked Ms. Jung, as well. Taehyung was young, why would he stop something that he actually liked?

Taehyung didn’t feel the best about it, of course, but, and these were his fucked-up thoughts, but if Hoseok did what he wanted, couldn’t Taehyung do the same? Sure, Taehyung was reaching there, but he just wanted to feel less terrible about himself.

The car had long since left the house, but Taehyung didn’t move from his spot under the tree. He usually had a companion with him, someone to chat with, but it seemed that his friends have become busier. Jimin was never in his room late at night anymore, Jungkook was MIA for the last couple of days, and Hoseok was…well that one was obvious. Basically, Taehyung had been by himself so often recently that he had kind of gotten used to it. Sure, he could have tried to make new friends, but his reputation as a womanizer in the town made the men jealous and the women cautious. When he had his friends, Taehyung didn’t really care what others thought of him but now. Now…

Taehyung shook his head to clear the thoughts.

He stared at the house for a while. He debated whether he should go in. He _wanted_ to go inside, but he debated whether Hoseok having a boyfriend could warrant Taehyung fucking Hoseok’s mother. The answer was no. Nothing could warrant that kind of disrespect. Taehyung decided to take a walk around the town instead.

There was a park a couple of blocks down from Hoseok’s house that Taehyung and his friends always used to hang out at. When they were much younger, the tiny slide and rusted monkey bars were the highlight of their days but, as they got older, they just sat on the grass and either chatted or sat in comfortable silence. Taehyung wanted to sit in a comfortable place, so he decided to head to the park.

As he got nearer to the park, he heard the ecstatic shouts of young children. Since it was the summer, the kids in the town all gathered in the park as there was nothing else to do. Taehyung continued walking and entered the park. There were only two benches on the perimeter of the park, both filled with older women, most likely the mothers of the children. The mothers were chatting amongst themselves while the children had their own fun. Taehyung appreciated the calm and pleasant atmosphere.

He decided to sit on the grass in the shade under the trees where he had an unobstructed view of the entire park and the street. He didn’t really care if the grass stained his pants since there were old sweatpants anyway. Paired with a loose sweatshirt, Taehyung probably looked like he didn’t care about how he looked, but he just wanted to be comfortable for the day. Watching the children play reminded Taehyung of all the times he and Jungkook had hurt themselves by playing too rough, the deep thoughts and secrets that he had shared with Jimin, and all the delicious snacks that Seokjin would make and share. Those were the best times, when they were all each other had. No one was too busy to spend time with the other, there were no secrets amongst them, it was so carefree and comfortable.

An ear shattering scream broke Taehyung out of his thoughts and stole his attention. A boy seemed to have fallen from the monkey bars and was lying on the ground screeching in pain. One of the mothers on the bench went racing to the boy and was on her knees by the boy within a matter of seconds. Taehyung watched as she gently turned the boy as her eyes rapidly scanned for any serious injuries. It didn’t seem to be that serious since the mother seemed to relax a bit so she lifted the boy into her arms and began to shush the boy to calm him down. She gently wiped off the dirt from the boy’s hands and rocked her body to comfort her child even giving him quick pecks to his forehead to soothe him. It wasn’t long before the boy wasn’t crying anymore.

To anyone else, it was a comforting scene of motherly love, but, to Taehyung, it just showed him what he lacked. Memories of Taehyung crying alone in a dark room, waiting for his mother to comfort him, a mother who never came, flashed through his head. His mother was never there to comfort him when he was hurting, nor was she there when he wanted to show how proud he was when he passed a test in a particularly hard subject or when he taught himself to ride his bike on his own after seeing other fathers teach their sons. It was the dichotomy of knowing that his mother was there but never being able to see her. Taehyung couldn’t even remember his own mother’s face anymore.

Rather than staying at the park, Taehyung decided that just a simple walk around town would do him some good. He quickly stood up and briskly walked out of the park, making sure to keep his gaze diverted from the mother and child.

He was walking in the opposite direction of Hoseok’s house towards the small convenience stores. Taehyung was a little hungry, so he entered one of the shops and bought a bowl of instant noodles that he cooked inside the store and ate outside on one of the two tables that were placed in front of the store. He had barely gotten through eating when he heard the ear-splitting sound of shattering glass and the rough shouting of a man and woman. Taehyung looked up towards the direction he thought he had heard the glass break from and, sure enough, a man staggered out towards the road from an alley closely followed by an angry woman. They were quite far away from Taehyung yet he could hear their conversation very clearly. Apparently, the man was very drunk which angered the woman, obviously, because she was screaming her lungs out in frustration.

She was very angry that the man was ignoring her, trying his best to walk in a straight line away from her, but his inebriated state made the task difficult, causing him to stumble into the wall of a house. He seemed annoyed with his whole situation. The fact that he couldn’t walk properly and the woman screaming in his ear was probably too much for him at that moment. Taehyung had seen this scene too many times. Not with this specific couple but in his home with his own father and mother. His familiarity with this scene caused a foreboding dread to rise within him as he willed the altercation to not escalate.

His prayers were not heard, however, as, as if he wasn’t drunk anymore and his hand-eye coordination were that of a baseball pitcher, the man whirled around and struck the woman in the face. He had hit her so hard that she whipped to the side, slamming against the wall with a bone-chilling thud. Then the man was screaming down onto the woman as she cradled her head, her face a mix of pain, sorrow, and fear.

The entire scene made Taehyung sick to his stomach, actually. He felt nauseous. He wanted to get up and leave but his knees were too unstable. He looked down and saw that his hands were trembling. He swallowed dryly as he felt his heart thumping violently in his head. He tried to control his breathing but it was getting increasingly harder as the man’s voice continued clawing through his ear drums, echoing through every corner in his head. He was having a panic attack, again. e wasHeHe wanted to crawl under the table and hide, away from the man, away from this fear that was overwhelming him. He wanted to be alone but he didn’t at the same time. But, unlike in the past, he had no one to run away to. There was plenty to run away from, but he had no safe place, no asylum to escape to.

How did he get here? How did he let everything crumble in front of him? How did he let the people most important to him slip through his fingers? He wanted his friends. He wanted Hoseok. But they were so out of reach, blocked by impregnable walls. Taehyung wanted safety, he _needed_ safety.

Taehyung began running. He wasn’t thinking about where he was going, he just needed to get away from the man. He ran. Passed the store. Passed the park with the happy mothers and children. He ran until he was back where he started. Hoseok’s house. He didn’t even hesitate to enter the house, knowing that the broken front door wouldn’t bar his entry.

He rushed into the house and straight to Hoseok’s bedroom. He knew Hoseok was not in there, but it was the closest thing to Hoseok that he could get at that moment. He dashed into the room and directly into Hoseok’s bed, burrowing himself under the covers and immediately being surrounded by Hoseok’s scent. The bed was cold, but it was warmer than the intense coldness that was overcoming Taehyung’s insides. He closed his eyes as he tried to imagine that Hoseok was, in fact, laying in bed with him, comforting him as he eased him out of the panic attack. It seemed to work as Taehyung’s breathing slowed, his heart rate lowered, and eventually he had dozed off.

Or, at least he thought he had dozed off. The comfortable silence that only Hoseok could offer made Taehyung feel like he was peacefully asleep, but the sound of the door opening let Taehyung know that he was, in fact, awake. An immense sigh came from outside of the room, rousing Taehyung’s fuzzy brain. The sigh was too light to be Hoseok’s so he thought it might be his mother.

Taehyung thought about going out there and seeing what was troubling Ms. Jung but Hoseok’s face flashed behind his eyes and he suddenly felt terrible. He suddenly realized how sick, awful, and selfish he was for even thinking about Hoseok’s mother in a sexual way, let alone actually having sex with her. How could Taehyung crave Hoseok’s scent when he was having a panic attack, yet breach such a vital component of friendship? Trust. Taehyung would lose Hoseok’s trust. But he deserved it. Taehyung couldn’t think about anyone else but himself and he was paying for it. Taehyung wouldn’t make that mistake ever again, if he were offered the choice between Hoseok’s friendship and anything else, literally anything else, he would choose Hoseok every time.

A wet sniffle caught Taehyung’s attention. It was so subtle that Taehyung didn’t think much of it, but when the sound came again, it was obvious to Taehyung what was happening. Ms. Jung was crying. Taehyung didn’t know whether he should go out there and see if she was okay or if he should just never face her again, in order to respect Hoseok. He decided to remain in the bed, pulling the covers over his head in a childish attempt to shield himself from Ms. Jung’s crying.

However, as time passed, her quiet sniffles became meek whimpers. It was becoming more miserable for Taehyung having to hear Ms. Jung weeping, knowing that he couldn’t do anything about it. He settled on just leaving the house without her seeing him. He slowly pulled the covers off him and rolled out of the bed, careful to fix the bed before tip-toeing out of the room. He sneakily headed towards the front door, passed the kitchen where Ms. Jung must have been sitting, though he couldn’t see her. Just as he placed his hand on the door knob he heard Ms. Jung speak out.

“Hoseokie?” Ms. Jung asked with a pained voice.

Taehyung didn’t know whether to ignore her and walk out of the house or just face her. Before he could even think further, Ms. Jung had gotten up and looked to the front door. Surprise ran across her tear-streaked face as her eyes laid upon Taehyung. Taehyung felt so awkward and conflicted now that he was caught. He didn’t say anything as he looked at her, not sure what to say.

“Taehyung?” Ms. Jung uttered. She quickly diverted her gaze to the floor and roughly wiped the tears from her face with the sleeve of her long-sleeved shirt.

Taehyung nodded in confirmation as he, too, looked to the ground.

“Would you like some tea?” Ms. Jung asked meekly. Taehyung didn’t want to aggravate the already tense and awkward situation so, with great reluctance, he nodded and waited until Ms. Jung walked back into the kitchen before following her.

He sat at the table, across from where Ms. Jung sat and impatiently watched as she carefully poured him a small cup of recently brewed herbal tea. Ms. Jung slid the cup across the table towards Taehyung and, as he reached out to take it, his fingers brushed against the back of Ms. Jung’s hand sending a jolt of electricity through both of them. It was such a brief moment of contact, yet so intense.

Taehyung quickly drew his hand back and placed his hands on his lap under the table. He faked a calm smile towards Ms. Jung but made a mental note to be more careful.

Taehyung watched the sun go down through the small kitchen window as he silently sat in front Ms. Jung whose tears gradually dried down to faint streaks on her flushed cheeks. The only sound the filled the room was the occasional slurp from Ms. Jung sipping her tea. Taehyung’s throat was far too dry and, though he could have taken a sip of his tea, he just couldn’t. He couldn’t do anything, really. He couldn’t look at Ms. Jung, quench his thirst, nor could he breathe. He caught himself unknowingly holding his breath.

Time seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace and it was becoming unbearable for Taehyung. He cleared his throat and got up to leave.

“You’re leaving?” Ms. Jung mumbled delicately.

“Uhm, yeah. I just…have somewhere to be,” Taehyung forced out not sparing a glance at Ms. Jung. He knew she was looking up at him but he also knew that if he made eye contact with her he wouldn’t be able to leave the house.

He had to walk past her to get out of the kitchen so he tried to move as quickly as possible. He had just gotten passed her when he felt her small hand firmly grip his bicep. Taehyung clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, he knew what was coming. Just like he had done with her before, she was seeking comfort from him.

“Can’t you just stay a little longer? Just until Hoseok gets back?” Ms. Jung mewled as she stood in front of Taehyung, her hand still gripping his arm while she placed her hand on his chest and tightly bunched up his shirt in her palm.

“I just can’t be alone right now,” Ms. Jung continued, “Please don’t leave me alone, Tae,” she whimpered airily as he buried her face in the dip of Taehyung’s neck making sure that her lips brushed against his skin with every word she pronounced.

Taehyung’s determination to leave was dissipating with each tiny gasp Ms. Jung made between her sentences and, with the way she was clinging onto him, there was no way he would be able to leave easily.

However, Hoseok’s smiling face popped into his head and it was enough for Taehyung to remember what was truly important to him. He finally looked down at Ms. Jung, at her desperate eyes. She wasn’t that much smaller than him but he still had to angle his head down to see her fully. He took her hand that was gripping tightly onto his chest and squeezed it gently before prying it off and stepping to the side to walk away.

He had gotten pretty far, right in the view of the front door when he his head whipped back and a searing pain flashed on his scalp. His hand immediately went up to his head and he was startled when his fingers attached to another hand. The grip was so strong and so violent that it couldn’t possibly have been Ms. Jung’s gentle fingers. Several thoughts raced through Taehyung’s mind. Was it an intruder? Hoseok?

Taehyung didn’t have any more time to think as he his back slammed against the wall. He was face to face with his attacker at that moment. Taehyung could confirm that it wasn’t Ms. Jung.

But, it was Ms. Jung’s face, it was indeed her hands that were still relentlessly gripping Taehyung’s overgrown hair, but the fire in her eyes. The look of pure rage and unbridled madness that sparked in Ms. Jung’s eyes let Taehyung know whatever happened to Ms. Jung before she came home had really affected her. To the point where she would inflict immense pain onto someone she had taken care of for so long. Taehyung was terrified of what she would do to him.

The severity at which Ms. Jung had slammed Taehyung into the wall caused Taehyung to crumple down, but he couldn’t fall to the floor due to the strong grip Ms. Jung had on his hair. She looked down at Taehyung, both breathing rapidly.

“You’re just like everyone else,” Ms. Jung growled. “You use me then leave me whenever you’re done with me, ignore my calls, laugh at me when I beg you to stay!” Ms. Jung roared the last part, her voice so rough that it was hard to believe that it was coming from her.

Taehyung hadn’t been yelled at like that for years and it was bringing back a lot of forgotten memories and fears that he had purposely buried away. His knees were shaking again and his breathes were getting shallower. But Ms. Jung still did not relent.

“I don’t know how many times I had to go down onto my knees and _beg_ for Hoseok’s father not to leave. But that fucking bastard left, even when he knew I was pregnant,” Ms. Jung’s voice was more apathetic now. “But, you, Taehyung, you were supposed to be different. You were supposed to care. How could you, of all people, do this to me?” Ms. Jung sniffled.

Taehyung didn’t know how to respond. His head was pulsing and his legs felt detached from his body and he could not come up with a single coherent thought. His mind was racing yet empty at the same time.

“Really?” Ms. Jung growled through gritted teeth. “You have nothing to say? STILL?!” Ms. Jung mistook Taehyung’s silence for indignation making her even more angry than before. “You know what? I’m tired of being taken advantage of. I’m tired of begging you lying, cheating bastards to stay. You wanna leave so bad? Fine, I’ll let you leave,” Ms. Jung emphasized her words by shoving Taehyung away from her towards the front door. Taehyung’s relief was short-lived as Ms. Jung shoved Taehyung down onto his knees in front of her. “But, you’ll have to beg,” she finished.

Taehyung’s eyes widened painfully as Ms. Jung’s words sunk in. Taehyung shook his head in protest hoping that whatever Ms. Jung was going through would dissipate when she saw how frightened Taehyung was. Taehyung couldn’t look her in the eyes but he could feel her piercing gaze burning into him and he felt so conflicted. His face was burning and his vision was becoming blurred from the tears beginning to form.

“Go on,” Ms. Jung demanded, “Beg.”

Taehyung couldn’t think of another way out of the situation so he forced himself to breathe slowly to form coherent words.

“P-please,” Taehyung stuttered out dryly. That was all he could get out. That was all he _wanted_ to get out.

He felt threatened by Ms. Jung but his sense of betrayal was even stronger. How could someone he trusted so much hurt and humiliate him this way? Though he was scared, his pride was far too strong to stay on his knees and beg for anything.

“Please what?” Ms. Jung challenged.

Taehyung clenched his jaw. He refused to say any more.

“Nothing?” Ms. Jung continued before scoffing, “This is the first time that I’ve seen Kim Taehyung have nothing to say!” she mocked sarcastically. “You know what, though? I think I know _exactly_ how to get you to speak.”

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before stiffening quickly when he felt Ms. Jung’s index finger make a trail from the middle of his chest down to the hem of his sweatpants. She was crouched in front of Taehyung at eye level with him.

“What if I told you,” Ms. Jung spoke airily, “that you were just a toy to me, too? Hmm?” Ms. Jung continued to tease Taehyung by pulling at the hem of his sweatpants before letting it snap back onto his skin. She didn’t miss how Taehyung jumped slightly when she did that.

“You’ve made your point,” Taehyung growled through clenched teeth as he tried to contain his growing anger, “Can I go now?”

“Aww, my toy doesn’t want to play anymore?” Ms. Jung sarcastically whined.

She continued to pull at the hem of Taehyung’s sweatpants before her wrist was roughly grabbed by Taehyung. Her eyes widened at how tight Taehyung’s grip was and she tried to pull away but Taehyung just squeezed her small wrist tighter. Her shock caused her to shoot straight up, raising Taehyung along with her. He was finally looking at her, his eyes blank and serious, obviously he had reached his breaking point.

“Let me go!” Ms. Jung demanded and she emphasized each word by using her free hand to strike Taehyung on the chest. Taehyung quickly grabbed Ms. Jung’s other wrist. Now that they were standing and Taehyung was looking down on Ms. Jung, the power balance had shifted in his favor. He could see in her eyes that she was a bit hesitant but he continued to hold onto her wrists to show how serious he was.

Ms. Jung, realizing that she had lost whatever temporary power that she had held over Taehyung, she did the first thing that came to her mind. It was instinctual and very stupid. She regretted it immediately after she did it, but it was too late.

With both wrists constricted by Taehyung, she wanted to humiliate him like she had been humiliated one last time. She gathered the saliva in her mouth and hawked it at Taehyung, the sputum splattering onto his chin.

Taehyung saw red at that point. He had contained a lot of emotions within him, anger, humiliation, fear, sadness, but they all were released in an explosion towards Ms. Jung. He shoved against the wall, the impact causing her to bounce off the wall, but Taehyung’s large hands easily gripped Ms. Jung’s thin neck and slammed her head against the wall. His face as inches away from Ms. Jung’s as he kept his fingers around Ms. Jung’s throat, not to choke her, but to keep her in place.

Both of their breaths were labored but Ms. Jung was also whimpering. However, they weren’t the whimpers from pain or fear, but from arousal. Taehyung knew because he made her make those exact sounds not too long before. However, Taehyung chose to ignore this as he spoke.

“Don’t ever, EVER, think of talking to me, being near me, or asking about me. I don’t ever—” Taehyung was interrupted when Ms. Jung pushed forward and slammed her lips against his.

Their lips had barely made contact when a voice sounded through the room causing Taehyung’s stomach to drop and his body go limp.

“Mom? Taehyung?!”

Taehyung and Ms. Jung both pivoted to where the voice came from at the front door. Standing in the doorway, were Hoseok and Jisoo whose wide eyes and even wider mouths made clear that they had seen the “kiss.”

Hoseok’s mouth was moving, trying to create coherent words, but his eyes revealed just how confused, sad, and betrayed he was. Taehyung couldn’t come up with anything to say either. The room was silent and frozen and time seemed to be doing the same.

However, a slight movement caught Taehyung’s attention. Jisoo has reached up and gripped Hoseok’s hand pulling him back. Taehyung couldn’t let Hoseok leave without a word so he took a step towards Hoseok. However, at Taehyung’s advance, Hoseok quickly turned his back to Taehyung and sprinted out of sight, Jisoo closely behind him.

They didn’t even close the door as they left, leaving Taehyung to watch as they entered Jisoo’s car and easily sped off. Taehyung was frozen, looking at the empty space where the car once occupied.

A swift “Shit” from Ms. Jung brought Taehyung back to reality. He shook his head and stormed out of the house with no destination in mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Where are you taking me?” Hoseok asked emptily as he gazed out the window not really looking at anything.

“My place,” Jisoo answered simply.

Hoseok didn’t reply but Jisoo expected that. Jisoo couldn’t even imagine what was going through Hoseok’s head at that moment. He had seen and done some other worldly shit in his time, but fucking his best friend’s mother? Even that was pushing it for Jisoo. And he was a gangster.

He knew that Hoseok just needed time to himself, but he didn’t want to leave him alone, which is why he was driving him to his penthouse. The place was big enough for Hoseok to be isolated if he wanted to without truly being alone.

They continued the drive in silence even when Jisoo pulled into the car garage of his penthouse building. Jisoo parked in his designated spot and shut off the car. He didn’t immediately get out of the car, wanting to give Hoseok time to gather himself.

After a minute or two, Jisoo got out of the car and went to Hoseok’s side to let him out as well. However, when he opened the door, Hoseok didn’t move at all, not even to remove his seatbelt. Jisoo’s lungs felt heavy as he watched Hoseok stare at nothing with the most mournful expression. Jisoo sighed and unbuckled Hoseok’s seatbelt, helping Hoseok out of the car. He gripped his waist and led him to the elevator.

“It’s gonna be sort of a process to get up to my place. I apologize for that,” Jisoo mumbled trying to lighten the mood. Hoseok didn’t respond, but he did lean into Jisoo more as they stepped into the elevator. Jisoo pressed the button top most button and they waited for the doors to close.

It wasn’t long after the doors closed that they opened once again. Hoseok was expecting doors to apartments but he was surprised and a little annoyed that the doors opened to reveal more elevators. Jisoo led Hoseok to another elevator and, when they entered that one there was only one button with the letter P on it. He entered a code then, after two beeps sounded, he pressed the button then the elevator doors closed.

Jisoo moved his hand to Hoseok’s back and gently rubbed trying to comfort Hoseok any way he could. It seemed to have a positive effect seeing as Hoseok let out a deep sigh and leaned into Jisoo’s hand.

When the elevator finally dinged and the doors opened, Hoseok was surprised to see that the elevator opened to the interior of the penthouse. Jisoo nudged Hoseok slightly urging him into the penthouse.

Hoseok didn’t really pay mind to his surroundings as his mind was elsewhere so he just went where Jisoo led him, which was to a soft black velvet couch that faced a fireplace. Hoseok melted into the couch as he blankly stared at the fireplace.

Feeling sorry and wanting to provide some help, Jisoo offered a cup of tea.

“It might soothe your mind a little bit,” Jisoo explained. Hoseok nodded. Jisoo quickly walked away, turning a corner into the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea for Hoseok. Knowing that the water would take some time to be ready, Jisoo went back to Hoseok and sat down next to him on the couch.

“Tell me what’s going through your head,” Jisoo urged Hoseok to speak.

“I just…I don’t know,” Hoseok answered honestly.

Hoseok really did not know. Of course, he was bothered when he saw his mother pinned against the wall by Taehyung as they kissed, but that wasn’t what bothered him the most. What really perturbed him was how he _still_ did not feel any hatred towards Taehyung. If it were anyone else, Hoseok would have unleashed hell on earth, but since it was Taehyung, Hoseok couldn’t do more than watch. What did Hoseok watch exactly? It was more than just Taehyung kissing his mother. Was it the end of their friendship? Was it the physical manifestation of how insignificant Hoseok was to Taehyung? Did Taehyung really not care, even a little bit, about Hoseok? Ever?

All these thoughts ran through Hoseok’s head yet still, Hoseok was not angry. Rather than angry he felt betrayed, used, abandoned, irrelevant. But why? Was it because Taehyung thought so little of their friendship that he would push the boundaries and have a relationship with Hoseok’s mother? Or was it because Taehyung chose someone else over Hoseok?

Maybe that was it. Over the years, Hoseok felt like he had to compete with so many people for Taehyung’s attention, yet he never once imagined that he would also have to compete with his own mother. Was he jealous now? Was this why his airways felt restricted and his head hurt? All because his mother got what he had wanted for so long?

Hoseok wanted to scream and fight and rage, but he wanted to cry more. He wanted to drown in his own tears yet his body wouldn’t form a single tear nor whimper to ease the pressure building in his chest.

Noticing how distraught Hoseok looked, Jisoo placed his hand on Hoseok’s shoulder. Hoseok looked up to see that Jisoo was watching him intently.

How could Hoseok be so stupid? There he was, obsessing over a man that would never want him, when he had someone who actually liked him sitting right next to him. Hoseok just wished that he could transfer the feelings that he had for Taehyung over to Jisoo. But his heart never skipped a beat when he saw Jisoo the way it did for Taehyung, no matter how badly he wanted it to.

But Hoseok had to get over Taehyung. It was crucial. He didn’t want to get hurt anymore and loving Taehyung caused him more pain than he was capable of taking. He could love Jisoo. Why couldn’t he? It wasn’t like he wasn’t attracted to Jisoo. Jisoo was so sexy and cool and charming. But most importantly, he liked Hoseok back. All he had to do was forget about Taehyung. Easier said than done, but Hoseok was determined.

As he looked at Jisoo staring back at him with his bright sincere eyes, Hoseok wondered what was it about Jisoo that made him keep his guard up. He was nice and not selfish at all, yet, Hoseok couldn’t fully trust him. But he pushed through those feelings because he couldn’t be trapped by his feelings for Taehyung forever.

Hoseok barely let himself think through what he was doing before he sat forward and straightforwardly locked lips with Jisoo. Jisoo stiffened a little at the completely unexpected kiss but he quickly melted into Hoseok’s lips, allowing Hoseok to deepen the kiss as he nibbled at Jisoo’s lower lip.

It felt good to kiss Jisoo, Hoseok knew that very well. But, with the night’s recent events, it was hard to concentrate. Hoseok was kissing Jisoo, but his mind, unfortunately, was still on Taehyung. Gradually, though, Jisoo’s soft mewls overwhelmed Hoseok’s senses exciting him and making him want more. He pressed Jisoo down onto the couch and placed one of his legs between Jisoo’s to create some friction between his knee and Jisoo’s solar plexus so he can keep making those beautiful moans that drove Hoseok so crazy.

Hoseok pressed his knee slightly into Jisoo’s hardening member and the moan that Jisoo released the most sensual sigh that awakened Hoseok’s sexual hunger that he didn’t even know existed within him. He quickly sat up and removed his shirt and impatiently threw it onto the floor. He pulled Jisoo up by his collar before roughly pulling his shirt off him. Hoseok didn’t immediately go back down to Jisoo, instead, he just looked down at Jisoo’s hungry desperate gaze. His moist swollen lips seemed to beg for Hoseok to come back to them so he obliged, slowly lowering himself back to Jisoo lips.

Just as their lips brushed against each other, a harsh whistle filled the room.

Jisoo frowned in confusion and aggravation before realizing what that sound was.

“The tea kettle,” Jisoo explained breathlessly. Hoseok grinned then sat up giving Jisoo space to get up.

Jisoo took the hint and shot off the couch, quickly turning the corner. When he got into the kitchen he saw the tea kettle on the stove with steam whistling out of it. He quickly turned the stove off and the tea kettle settled down. He was so excited that he could feel his heart beating throughout his entire body. He couldn’t help the goofy smile that was plastered on his face because he was finally advancing to a new level with Hoseok. His smile was still in full effect when he went back to the living room. He was expecting Hoseok to be waiting for him on the couch with his legs casually yet suggestively spread and his golden tan skin glowing under the warm light of his penthouse. Yet what he saw instead erased the smile from his face and had frozen him in place.

Hoseok had his shirt back on and was sitting up on the couch with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together. His demeanor was completely closed off and he looked more conflicted than he had before.

“What’s wrong?” Jisoo asked cautiously. The look that Hoseok sent him sent chills down his spine and goosebumps on his naked chest.

“What’s on your back?” Hoseok asked directly.

Jisoo was confused by the question. What did Hoseok mean by what was on his back? Jisoo was silently contemplating the question until the realization finally dawned on him.

His tattoo.

Being in Agma, everyone had to get the same back piece of a black and white demon that closely resembled a dragon. The dragon’s face covered up most of the back with its mouth wide open exposing dozens of sharp teeth and fangs and an even sharper tongue. Its eyes were empty of pupils yet they expressed immense ferociousness that exemplified the merciless leadership of Jisoo’s father. To unknowing eyes, this tattoo would symbolize terror, malice, and, most obviously, gang affiliation.

Jisoo’s eyes widened in acknowledgment and that was all Hoseok needed. He shot off the couch and stormed towards the elevator.

“Hoseok!” Jisoo ran after Hoseok, “Please let me explain!”

“Explain?” Hoseok said keeping his back facing Jisoo, “You don’t have to explain anything. I already know.”

That stopped Jisoo. Already knew? Already knew what?

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jisoo said with a hint of spite in his voice.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Hoseok scoffed, “You’re part of a gang. I don’t want anything to do with that.”

Jisoo clenched his jaw trying to hold back the harsh words that were forming on his tongue. He hated being judged by someone just because he was his father’s son. That was not something he could control just like no one could control their race, sex, or ethnicity when they’re born. He was born into his father’s gang, which he could not control, but what he could control was his generosity, compassion, and just how damn pleasant he was. Yet, even with all of that, Hoseok so quickly walked away from him without even asking for an explanation or clarification.

Just because he had a tattoo meant that he was in a gang? What if he were just an avid tattoo lover? Okay, so fine! Hoseok’s first assumption was correct, but did he think so little of Jisoo’s input that he didn’t even want to hear what Jisoo had to say for himself?

And the irony of the situation! Hoseok wanted nothing to do with Jisoo because he was in a gang yet he met Hoseok in a club owned by a gang and just a few days ago Jisoo had seen one of Namjoon’s men in Hoseok’s house. Whether Hoseok knew it or not, gangsters were all around him. The town’s entire wealth came from gangsters and this was a well-known fact by all the town’s inhabitants. This hypocrisy sent Jisoo over the edge.

He scoffed spitefully, “You should move out of town then.”

“No need for all of that,” Hoseok deadpanned, “I just need to get away from you.”

Jisoo swallowed thickly. That maimed him. He never seen himself so lowly until Hoseok had said that. That’s when he realized that Hoseok was more important to him than he thought. The ones you love the most hurt you the worst, right?

But, since he was his father’s son, he also knew just as well how to hurt someone. Though he liked, or perhaps loved, Hoseok, he couldn’t just let Hoseok hurt him without retaliating.

“If you wanna get away from everyone in a gang you’re gonna want to sit down and make a list,” Jisoo fired back.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Hoseok finally turned to look at Jisoo.

The way Hoseok looked at him with wide innocent eyes made Jisoo want to take back everything he said but it was already too late. Jisoo swallowed his hesitation and continued.

“Maybe you should take a closer look at what your friends do in their spare time,” Jisoo venomously suggested with his trademark cocky and easygoing grin. He wasn’t outside Jisoo anymore, he was in business mode. Gangster business mode, to be specific.

“Are you assuming that—“ Hoseok was cut off.

“I’m not assuming anything,” Jisoo shrugged as if he were completely calm but, really, on the inside humiliation, anger, and despair were all culminating into dangerous concoction that set fire to his insides and made him nauseous. “I’m just informing you of what you don’t know.” He finished off.

Hoseok scoffed and incredulously smirked, “You lying bastard. You don’t even know them, how dare you say anything about them?”

“No,” Jisoo shot back as he stepped closer to Hoseok, “You don’t know them.”

The way he said it was so calm and indisputable that Hoseok was beginning to believe him. But he wouldn’t. He had known his friends for years, they had grown up with each other. Surely, if they were in a gang he would have known by now because they would have told him. They tell each other everything.

Right?

Jisoo noticed the uncertainty in Hoseok’s eyes and he knew he was finally getting somewhere. Hoseok shifted from foot to foot as he looked down on the floor.

Was Jisoo telling the truth? Were his friends really in a gang? Were they in the same gang as Jisoo? It finally made sense to Hoseok why Yoongi never changed clothes in front of him. Was it because he was hiding a tattoo, as well? Hoseok looked up at Jisoo and saw how sincere his eyes were. Up until this point, Jisoo had never lied to Hoseok, or at least that’s what he assumed. Sure, he never told him that he was in a fucking _gang_ but that wasn’t something that could be brought up casually in a conversation. _“Oh yeah, just so you know. I’m part of a gang that ruthlessly murders and exploits innocent people. Just an fyi.”_ Hoseok laughed bitterly. But, if what Jisoo was saying was true, there was a lot, A LOT, that Hoseok did not know.

But he was going to find out.

“I want you to tell me everything.” Hoseok straightened his back and looked Jisoo dead in the eyes with a conviction that was hard to ignore.

“Everything?” Jisoo asked a bit nervous. Hoseok only nodded. “Well…what’s everything?” Jisoo wanted to make sure that he told Hoseok everything he wanted to know and nothing that he didn’t.

Hoseok wondered as well. What _was_ everything? He thought for a while. “Enough not to make me leave you right here right now.”

That was enough for Jisoo. “Well, it’s gonna be a long story. You should take a seat,” Jisoo motioned to the couch and Hoseok hesitated, but he crossed his arms over his chest and went back to the couch.

Jisoo sat next to him but left a good amount of space between him and Hoseok before he sighed and began. Before he did though, he picked his shirt up from the floor and put it on, feeling, for the first time, embarrassed and ashamed of his tattoo.

Jisoo laughed nervously, “Where should I begin?”

“With you.” Hoseok replied simply. Jisoo looked at him with wide eyes and his mouth slightly ajar, a sign that he was utterly confused by what Hoseok meant. Hoseok clarified, “Why are you in a gang?”

Jisoo nodded and thought for a bit before he began to speak. This was a story that he never had to tell because people already knew who he was because they knew his father. It was different and strange for Jisoo to have to tell his own story with his own mouth.

“My father,” Jisoo began not able to curb the sour tone that arose when he mentioned his father, “formed a gang called Agma before I was ever even thought of. Not in this town, though. He formed it in his hometown but he never told me where that was so I don’t even know. Only he and the founding members know. But anyways, he was ‘sick and tired of being broke and taken advantage of by the top guys’ blah blah. So, instead of going the clean route and getting an education and making money that way, he decided that he was going to be just like the people who took advantage of him. Even worse than them.” Jisoo shook his head, a mixture of disappointment and awe in his features. “He moved here because he wanted to start his reputation on a clean state. Everyone in his hometown knew him as dirty, poor, and vulnerable. He wanted to be known as scary, ruthless, and rich.

He gathered some people who felt the same way about life as he did and he kind of just…wreaked havoc on this unsuspecting town. He came in and demanded taxes from business owners and, at first no one took him seriously, but when he got his men to destroy their shit and send them to hospitals, people started taking them seriously. It was just that easy. What could someone do when these outsiders come in beating them to a pulp and demand that they won’t stop until they get paid? They only had one option: they paid them.” Jisoo looked to Hoseok to gauge his reaction and, surprisingly, Hoseok was very calm as he stared at his feet. Jisoo took that as a sign to continue.

“Well, the taxes got my father some money but it wasn’t enough for him. He had always had a knack for business deals, or so he claimed, and his reputation had spread to other towns. They all came here wanting to work under my father expecting to get rich quick or whatever. These people included regular folks just looking to make money for their families but also, shady businessmen who didn’t care how they made money just as long as it was in their pockets. They made deals with my father to set up loans for more people to create businesses here for cheap and they would get a portion of the taxes that Agma got. This was a success. The success was so great, actually, that it caught the attention of the mayor and the town hall. They decided to make more deals with my father but, this time, it was for infrastructure. They would repave the streets, hire architects to draw up nice ass buildings, and literally make from scratch all of downtown. Of course, they would need workers for this and it would have been too expensive to hire actual certified workers, so they got the townsfolk to do it. They promised nice wages and decent working conditions and, I guess, that’s what they believed would happen.

But, my father being my father, he saw an opportunity. Because Agma was overseeing the construction of everything, they took a lot of things into their own hands. One of those things being the wages. I’m still not entirely sure of how much they actually took, but I did some asking around a while back, and the consensus was that Agma took half of everything. People feared them so they paid them to keep them away. All they cared about was the money and that the workers were healthy enough to keep working and keep giving them money so they paid no mind to how terrible the conditions were. On top of the outrageously long hours, they made them work in the pouring rain, when the wind chills were so cold that their tears would freeze on their cheeks, and even when the heat was so fierce that they couldn’t even eat or else they’d vomit. It was terrible.”

Jisoo couldn’t help the emotion that sprang up as he recounted this story that he had been told so many times by his mother. He made her tell him the story almost every day when he was younger just because he couldn’t believe that it was real. He looked over to Hoseok to see that his head had risen and he was looking at Jisoo. Jisoo expected Hoseok to be disgusted but he was surprised to see how empathetic he looked. It gave Jisoo the strength to continue.

“One of those workers couldn’t take it anymore. He was also a business owner and I guess the taxes and forced labor had broken him to the point where he didn’t fear Agma anymore. He secretly formed a little gang of his own, but he never called it that. It was just a group of men who were tired of being exploited by Agma and they were fighting back. That man was very charismatic and, soon, he had about just as much men working under him as my father had. Then, one night, the man and his followers waited until the sun set and they tied up and held hostage all the Agma men on watch. They didn’t kill them, though, just held them. They told my father that they would not release the men until my father agreed to their demands.”

“What were the demands?” Hoseok asked, very interested in the story.

“That man was smart and he knew that they would never go back to normal as long as my father maintained so much control of the town. So, they demanded that my father reduce the wage taxes from half to a quarter and that they stop working before the sun set. This is where the actual name, Agma, began to be associated with my father because, up until then, they had just referred to my father by name. My father refused to concede to their demands. ‘We’ll kill them if you don’t do it!’ the man told my father. My father just replied, ‘Kill them, then.’ The hostages heard of what my father had said and that betrayal is what led to them joining the resistance group and creating an actual gang to compete with Agma. One of those hostages is the father of the gang your friend is in.” Jisoo looked to Hoseok.

“Really? Which one?” Hoseok went back to his memory to confirm that Jisoo had only met two of his friends: Yoongi and Taehyung.

“Min Yoongi,” Jisoo deadpanned.

“How do you know his name?” Hoseok couldn’t help the rising trepidation that constricted his lungs.

“Well, once the father of the other gang let his son take control, Min went along with him not too long ago. The son and Min are the reason why their gang is so successful right now. Those two are fearless and so intelligent that, on their own, they’ve become a threat to Agma.”

“A threat to you?” Hoseok asked quietly.

“A threat to Agma,” Jisoo repeated.

“But aren’t you…?”

“I’m only associated with Agma through blood. I’m there because I have to be, my father makes me. But that’s it.” Jisoo clarified.

“So, you’ve never hurt anyone?” Hoseok inquired.

It was an innocent question. But it was a loaded one, as well. Jisoo had hurt people, many people, he had even _killed_ people with no second thought. But, if Jisoo told Hoseok that he didn’t know if Hoseok would stay with him. In fact, he was betting that Hoseok would leave him without any explanation. But how could one justify murder and torture? It was impossible. Jisoo had never had to because murder and torture were things he was born into. It was normal fucking conversation to talk about how you had to force money out of someone by breaking their legs or pulling out their fingernails one by one. But that was just for the regular people. As business in Agma grew, the torture of the opposing gang members was even worse. How could Jisoo tell Hoseok all of this without Hoseok being disgusted by him? He couldn’t.

But if he lied, maybe Hoseok would believe him, but that means that he would have to conceal such a large part of himself forever. Pain, murder, and torture, no matter how evil and sinister were what made Jisoo the man he grew to be, whether he liked it or not.

But that was the ultimate question. Did he like it? He did feel a sense of satisfaction at the expense of other’s pain but that was only a temporary feeling. The screams that he had wrenched out of people through his own hands haunted him at night and made him dizzy. So, did he like to torture and murder people? Yes and no. But that was most people in a gang. They did it because they _had_ to, not always because they wanted to. The main exception to this was Jisoo’s father, and he knew no one else who was as evil as his father.

“Everyone has hurt someone,” Jisoo finally uttered.

That’s when Hoseok realized that he was dealing with something way beyond his comfort. Up until that point, Hoseok had just been absorbing everything that Jisoo was saying, not really grasping it until now. He has always heard the horror stories of the gang members in town and he always had the image that they were huge bald men who walked around with knives in their pockets ready to kill anyone who pissed them off. Hoseok realized how childish he had been. Based on what Jisoo had told him, everyone had joined the gang because it was their last opportunity to control their life. It was childish of Hoseok to think that only big burly men would join a gang. Anyone could join a gang just as long as they were desperate enough.

Hoseok thought back to his friend, Yoongi. Yoongi had lost his parents a long time ago but he refused to live with any aunts or uncles because none of them lived in town and he would have to move. He didn’t want to be a burden on anyone so he didn’t move in with any of his friends and, instead, lived on his own. Yoongi never complained about his circumstances and, sometimes, he even said he preferred living alone, so Hoseok never thought that Yoongi was struggling. But, of course, Yoongi needed money to stay in his house, attend school, and eat, but he was so young that he couldn’t work everywhere and the places where he did work didn’t pay him a lot because of his age.

Hoseok was childish to think that Yoongi wasn’t struggling. He was a child with adult responsibilities and maybe those responsibilities were too overwhelming for Yoongi and he needed more money which he could only get from a gang. Maybe being in a gang made Yoongi’s life just a little more bearable. How could he fault him for that?

Now that realization had finally dawned on Hoseok, he felt bad. He felt bad that he never, for once, considered that Yoongi needed help. He just assumed that he got by effortlessly and that was a stupid assumption. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to apologize to Yoongi and Jisoo, both.

“Sorry,” Hoseok muttered.

“For what?” Jisoo asked.

Hoseok didn’t know how to put his thoughts into words so he shrugged his shoulders meekly, “Just…sorry.”

Jisoo just nodded wanting Hoseok to know that he had no ill feelings towards him. Jisoo was surprised at how well Hoseok took all of this. It made him like Hoseok even more.

“Are you okay?” Jisoo asked after a short while of silence.

Hoseok shrugged again, “I think I want to go home.”

“Home?” Jisoo asked. His tone made Hoseok confused for a bit until he realized what waited for him when he returned to his house. He already felt overwhelmed with the latest information from Jisoo, he didn’t want to deal with his mother yet.

“Ah, right,” Hoseok sighed heavily. Hoseok wanted to be alone for a short while to gather his thoughts, but he also wanted to talk to Yoongi. Hoseok wondered if he truly wanted to be alone. He looked at Jisoo and it hit him.

Yoongi and Jisoo were both in rival gangs which inherently made them personal rivals. The recognition that Hoseok was right in the middle of this made the situation much more awkward than he first thought. He didn’t feel any different towards Jisoo, only a little more cautious, and he definitely didn’t feel different towards Yoongi. In fact, it felt like he knew Yoongi at a deeper level than he did before. With those in mind, though, it became awkward for Hoseok because it felt like he was choosing sides in a rivalry that he had no place in.

If he chose Jisoo would that mean he was turning his back on his best friend? If he chose Yoongi would he possibly be abandoning a potentially devoted relationship with Jisoo? Could he choose both? Was that possible?

Even though Jisoo’s penthouse was spacious enough for Hoseok’s house to fit in it and then some, Hoseok felt claustrophobic. He also didn’t feel right about having Yoongi’s secret revealed while Yoongi wasn’t there. He slowly stood up suddenly feeling older, stiffer, and more tired.

“I think I need to walk this off,” Hoseok said, feeling bizarre because he didn’t know if he were running away or standing his ground when it came to Jisoo at that point.

Jisoo nodded completely understanding how overwhelmed Hoseok must have felt. He stood up and went to the elevator, pushing the buttons to open the doors. Hoseok stood behind him and when the doors opened, he hesitated only slightly before entering.

In the elevator, Hoseok saw two buttons, G and O.

“Press the button for ‘O’, it stands for outside. It leads to the lobby,” Jisoo informed. Hoseok nodded but waited to press the button. “Will you come back?” Jisoo added looking so deeply at Hoseok that it effectively froze Hoseok to the spot, even freezing Hoseok’s breathing.

“I’m…I can’t…” Hoseok couldn’t find his words, “I don’t know.” His shoulders sagged as he said this. Jisoo nodded and Hoseok pressed the button labeled “O.”

As the doors closed, Hoseok pulled his phone out and decided that he would have to talk to Yoongi as quickly as possible.

**Hoseok:** _Hey, are you busy right now?_ [Sent 9:01 PM]

**Yoongi:** _Yes._  [Sent 9:02 PM]

**Hoseok:** _I’m coming over in like an hour_ [Sent 9:02 PM]

**Yoongi:** _Aren’t you with your boyfriend, right now?_   [Sent 9:03 PM]

**Hoseok:** _No._   [Sent 9:03 PM]

**Yoongi:** _Well when you get here bring some food. I’m hungry_ [Sent 9:04 PM]

**Hoseok:** _I have enough for two 6 piece nugget happy meals at McDonald’s, cool?_ [Sent 9:04 PM]

**Yoongi:** _Sweet and sour sauce plzzz_ [Sent 9:05 PM]

 

Hoseok put his phone away as the doors to the elevator opened and revealed the lavish lobby with marble counters and matching marble floors. However, Hoseok felt no desire to admire the architecture, now understanding that everything in downtown was marred in blood and money.

It was weird how normal Yoongi seemed, even after joining the gang. Hoseok didn’t think a full personality 360 was realistic but at least he expected Yoongi to be just a tiny bit withdrawn, but there was none of that. With or without the gang, Min Yoongi was still Min Yoongi. Hoseok appreciated this but it also scared him. If Yoongi could hide his secret of being in a gang so well, what else was he hiding?

Hoseok shook his head because he didn’t want to think himself into a frenzied mess. He would just wait until he met Yoongi and get more of his questions answered from him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With two Happy Meals in hand, Hoseok knocked on Yoongi’s door. He didn’t have to wait too long before Yoongi opened door. Hoseok held up Yoongi’s Happy Meal and Yoongi, without even saying hello, snatched it and walked back into the house, leaving Hoseok to follow him. Yoongi plopped onto the couch as he opened the box and pulled out the nuggets and sweet and sour greedily eating. While Hoseok sat in front of the couch opposite of Yoongi on the floor, resting his back against it.

Hoseok didn’t feel like eating even though he had spent the rest of his money on the food so he just sat on the floor and watched Yoongi eat. A couple of minutes later, Yoongi had finished everything and he was peacefully sipping the milk as he looked down at Hoseok and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Yoongi asked.

Hoseok just shrugged not sure where to begin. Yoongi slowly put the milk down as he patiently waited for Hoseok to speak. There were two things bothering Hoseok at that moment. He had to pass his house on the way to Yoongi and the severe wrenching of his stomach at the image of Taehyung pinning his mother against the wall was enough to make him lose his appetite as a wave of nausea hit him hard. Also, he didn’t know how to ask Yoongi about the gang he was in without seeming confrontational. He decided to start with Taehyung.

“Today I…” Hoseok trailed off, finding it extremely taxing to speak suddenly. “I was coming back from my date with Jisoo and…I caught Taehyung and my mother…” Hoseok couldn’t finish the sentence but the context and his distraught expression were enough for Yoongi to completely understand what Hoseok was hinting at.

Yoongi couldn’t say anything. He knew Taehyung was prone to making extremely selfish decisions every now and then but he had never expected Taehyung to go that low. Yoongi had never been more disappointed in his friend, ever. Yoongi looked at Hoseok who was picking at the carpet mindlessly and nervously biting his lower lip.

“You can stay here for as long as you need,” Yoongi finally said. That was the best he could do at that moment because his mind was just filled with enraged profanities and curses.

“Thanks,” Hoseok muttered.

Yoongi could tell that his offer of shelter didn’t really make Hoseok feel better and that was killing him. He thought back to the many times Hoseok had ran to his house because he was sad, angry, or scared and he remembered that there was only one way to make Hoseok feel better. It was super embarrassing for Yoongi but he would do anything to hear Hoseok’s laugh.

“Hey,” Yoongi began, “remember that time when you cried for literally 24 hours straight and you wouldn’t stop until I sang “Feliz Navidad” to you?” Yoongi smiled at the memory and slowly Hoseok’s face began to brighten as well. “Do you want me to sing for you, again?” he offered.

Hoseok shook his head. “Can you just let me hold you instead?”

_Not this, again,_ Yoongi thought. “Uhh…” Yoongi nervously scratched the back of his neck, slightly regretting his offer to sing now.

“Please? You let me do it when my dog died, it really helped,” Hoseok looked up at Yoongi with glossy wide eyes, and it became literally impossible for Yoongi to refuse him.

Yoongi sighed through his nose. Hoseok stretched his arms and legs wide offering the space up for Yoongi. Yoongi groaned but he pushed himself from the couch and crawled his way in between Hoseok’s legs. Hoseok’s arms immediately wrapped around Yoongi’s waist, firmly yet comfortably gripping Yoongi to his chest. For anyone else, Yoongi would have vehemently refused to be hugged like this, it made him feel like a small baby which is why he let Hoseok do this only once, but, for Hoseok, he swallowed his pride and accepted. It was a comfortable position because Yoongi could lean back and rest his upper body against Hoseok’s chest and Hoseok’s tight grip on him made him feel nice. For Hoseok, Yoongi’s home was his safe place but, for Yoongi, being in Hoseok’s arms was his safe place.

“You better appreciate this,” Yoongi grumbled, “because this is not happening for another 5 years.”

Hoseok smiled and rested his forehead on Yoongi’s right shoulder. Yoongi wondered what had bothered Hoseok so much that he couldn’t talk to Jisoo about this. They seemed really close, yet Hoseok wanted to hold Yoongi rather than Jisoo. Yoongi couldn’t help the triumphant smile that tickled his lips.

“If I tell you something will you promise not to get mad?” Hoseok said after a short while of silence. His forehead was still on Yoongi’s shoulder so his voice was muffled, but Yoongi could still hear him.

“Yeah,” Yoongi answered simply.

“Promise,” Hoseok softly commanded as he subtly tightened his grip on Yoongi’s waist.

“I promise, Hoseok. What’s wrong?” Yoongi was beginning to worry.

“I found something out today,” Hoseok whispered. Hoseok’s breath tickled Yoongi’s shoulder through his long-sleeved shirt.

“What was it?” Yoongi whispered back.

Hoseok was still for a long time. Yoongi was confused and his trepidation increased exponentially as the minutes passed, his heart beating in his ears incessantly grew louder.

Suddenly, he felt Hoseok’s fingers sneak under his shirt and glide across the sensitive skin of his back. Yoongi gasped and his back straightened at the unexpected contact. Hoseok drew incomprehensible shapes along Yoongi’s back and Yoongi remained stiff. He knew he shouldn’t have let Hoseok touch his back because he might feel the scars of his tattoo but the touch was so light and pleasant that he wanted to savor it just a little longer.

“Can I see it?” Hoseok whispered as he lifted his forehead from Yoongi’s shoulder. Yoongi didn’t like how cold his shoulder felt when Hoseok moved so he didn’t process what Hoseok had said until he felt a tugging at the bottom of his shirt.

Yoongi tried to scoot away from Hoseok, scared that he might see the tattoo on his back, but Hoseok deftly wrapped his leg around Yoongi’s waist holding him still.

“See what?” Yoongi said as he reached behind him and swatted away Hoseok’s curious hands. _Does he know about my tattoo?_

“Your back,” Hoseok said as he stopped prying at Yoongi’s shirt and kept still.

“W-why?” Yoongi couldn’t hide the anxiety in his voice. He couldn’t let Hoseok see his tattoo, it would open too many doors to places he didn’t want Hoseok anywhere near.

“I want to see it, Yoongi” Hoseok said more fully.

Yoongi stopped his struggling against Hoseok’s legs and craned his neck to look up at Hoseok. Hoseok’s eyes seemed tired, like they had seen plenty and there was no reason to hide anymore. They looked accepting and, for a second, Yoongi felt dumb hiding such a large portion of his life from Hoseok. But he was doing it for Hoseok’s safety because, even if he wasn’t in the gang, knowing anything gang-related could get you killed in this town. Yoongi didn’t know what he would do if he lost Hoseok.

But, he also knew how stubborn Hoseok was. Even if he didn’t show Hoseok his tattoo that night, he was eventually going to see it. So, as he sighed, Yoongi turned back around and dropped his arms to his side.

“Fine, but you can’t ask any questions,” Yoongi finally relented.

With the signal to proceed, Hoseok, with very gentle fingers, played at the bottom of Yoongi’s shirt before slowly lifting it. He was confused because he had lifted the shirt up half way and he still hadn’t see anything. Yoongi remained still which confused Hoseok even more. Did Yoongi have a tattoo or not? Did Jisoo lie to him?

Losing patience, Hoseok nudged Yoongi down and pulled his shirt over his head. He wasn’t rough but he was diligent. Hoseok breathed a sigh of relief when he finally saw Yoongi’s tattoo. It was a beautiful piece, the markings intricate yet easy, as if Yoongi was born with it. Yoongi was sitting still in front of Hoseok but the piece undulated and flexed in front of him.

Laying over both of Yoongi’s shoulders was a pair of black wings, the feathers coming to life with the help of negative space between each feather giving the piece dimension. Yoongi’s spine was bare so it really looked like the wings were coming out of his back. The tattoo didn’t go down the back like Jisoo’s tattoo but, rather, down the Yoongi’s triceps, the black fading out to the ivory of his skin. Hoseok traced the area where his forehead previously lay and he was surprised at how smooth the tattoo was against his fingertips. His fingers must have been cold because Yoongi’s back muscles rippled under his touch making the wings come back to life once again.

Hoseok didn’t know why, but he felt an overwhelming urge to replace his fingertips with his lips and trace the feathers that way. Too intrigued by the piece and too tired to think otherwise, Hoseok bent down tickled his lips against one of the many delicate feathers that lay across Yoongi’s shoulder. Yoongi gasped but he didn’t protest, so Hoseok continued, going up to the base of Yoongi’s neck and back down to the top of his triceps. After his soft musing, Hoseok lay his forehead back in the same place and firmly gripped Yoongi’s waist in his arms once again.

Yoongi was taken aback by Hoseok’s reaction. He expected yells and incessant questions but, instead, Hoseok seemed so unruffled and relaxed.

“You have nothing to say?” Yoongi said, his voice breaking the soothing quiet of the room.

“You said no questions, remember?” Hoseok said, a smile evident in his voice.

“How did you find out anyway?” Yoongi asked, his body unconsciously stiffening as he anticipated Hoseok’s answer.

“Jisoo,” Hoseok muttered against Yoongi’s shoulder.

“What else did he tell you,” Yoongi pressed.

Hoseok shrugged seemingly unaware of how tense Yoongi was, “Not a lot. Just some stuff how his dad. And you.”

“Just me?” Yoongi queried.

Hoseok nodded and Yoongi had to force himself not to sigh in relief. Yoongi figured that it would be okay if Hoseok knew about him, but if he found out about Namjoon and Seokjin, that would really be a problem.

“You’re not scared?” Yoongi asked.

“I was at first,” Hoseok muttered as if his energy were draining with every word. He must’ve been very tired. “But how could I be afraid of someone who lets me hold him like this?” Hoseok giggled airily as he tightened his hold on Yoongi a little for emphasis.

Yoongi chuckled quietly before going silent.

It was surprising to him how much older Hoseok seemed at that moment. He wasn’t as reactive as he used to be and his rationale seemed to be based more on his reasoning rather than his emotions. Hoseok had been through a lot all in one night: his best friend committed the worst form of betrayal possible and he found out a serious secret about his other friend. There was no way anyone could not change after experiencing those things. Yoongi didn’t know how much Hoseok was effected by this night, but he knew that Hoseok wouldn’t be able to get over this night for a long time.

How would he talk to Taehyung after this? Would he ever speak to Taehyung, even? Yoongi made a mental note to talk to Taehyung alone and figure out what happened because he knew his friend and he knew how much Taehyung loved Hoseok. Taehyung wasn’t an airhead despite what outsiders thought. He thought through everything he did and, though he behaved based on his emotions, Taehyung would never do anything without thinking through it first.

As Yoongi was thinking, he noticed that Hoseok’s hold on him had loosened significantly. He focused on Hoseok’s breathe that blew against his back and the deepness and slowness of his breathing indicated that Hoseok had fallen asleep. Yoongi wondered if he should move Hoseok because he knew that Hoseok’s neck would be stiff with the way that he had rested his forehead on Yoongi’s shoulder. However, Yoongi’s position made moving without waking Hoseok hard, so he just rested against Hoseok’s warm chest.

Across from him on the couch where his empty Happy Meal box sat, his phone vibrated signaling that he had gotten a text message. Yoongi would have to wait until the morning to check his phone. His phone vibrated again.

_Whoever is texting me right now,_ Yoongi thought to himself as he closed his eyes, _it better not be serious cause I’m not getting up until Hoseok drags me off of him._

Yoongi fell asleep with his last thought being an image of Jisoo alone in his bed gripping a pillow while Hoseok was there gripping onto Yoongi. Yoongi wasn’t a petty person but even he couldn’t help bragging to the universe for a few seconds.

 

 

 

**∞**

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to try and update at least once a week, pinky promise!  
> Leave Kudos and comments if you like this, so I know whether I should keep writing or not!
> 
> Thanks Hoseokhiiebts for helping me find my TERRIBLE error!!!  
> I'm working on another fic and my spell checker kept changing our Tae Tae's name to one that was NOT his :(  
> Let me know if there are anymore mistakes, especially by this bitch devil spell check(UGH!)
> 
> To make up for this, I'm gonna update twice so.....wish me luck and sleep!
> 
> Finger Hearts!  
> abx


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